Farmers to pay more for aflatoxin fighting pesticide

What you need to know:

Farmers will have to dig deeper into their pockets to buy Aflasafe, a product used to suppress cancer causing aflatoxin, after two State agencies decline to take charge of the its distribution.
The move has seen the tender for distribution of Aflasafe given to a private entity- Koppert Biological Systems- after it won the contract last year.

Farmers will have to dig deeper into their pockets to buy Aflasafe, a product used to suppress cancer causing aflatoxin, after two State agencies decline to take charge of the its distribution.

The move has seen the tender for distribution of Aflasafe given to a private entity- Koppert Biological Systems- after it won the contract last year.

Director- General of Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organisation Eliud Kirger said the ministry approached Kenya Seed Company and Kenya Farmers Association to take up the distribution role without success.

Dr Oscar Magenya, director of research and innovation in the Agriculture ministry said the government was moving away from doing business and leaving it to private sector.

“It is not our work to do business, we want this to be taken over by the private sector,” said Dr Magenya.

A kilogramme of Aflasafe will retail at Sh201, which is an increase from Sh135.