Trans Nzoia County Governor Patrick Khaemba has said National Cereals and Produce Board stores are the main sources of aflatoxin.
Speaking on Wednesday during a dissemination workshop on enhancing market access and use of Agricultural lime among small-holder farmers, the Governor says the cereals stores are in pathetic conditions.
“The way we store our maize at the NCPB stores has to be stopped. In fact it one of the worst culprits as sources of aflatoxin,” said Khaemba.
He said he once visited cereals where he found a whole store with huge amounts of maize in conditions that the produce was not fit for human consumption.
“This is a government store, a food security store where we go to put maize to rot, it is not acceptable,” added the Governor.
Khaemba’s remarks comes a week after the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) listed five maize flour brands that have high levels of aflatoxin.
The brands listed include; Dola, Kifaru, Starehe, 210 and Jembe Maize Meal.
The government has since formed an inter-ministerial committee to investigate the claims of high aflatoxin levels in maize flour.
At the same time, Governor Khaemba said there is need to introduce a regulation that will compel all farmers to use lime to reduce acidity in soils.