FAO Director-General praises Eswatini’s fight against aflatoxins for better nutrition

Mbabane - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Director-General, QU Dongyu, visited today a laboratory at the forefront of Eswatini’s fight against aflatoxins – a group of moulds that can contaminate crops such as maize and peanuts and that are harmful to human and animal health, and food security.

At the Malkerns Research Station, about 40 km from Mbabane, the Director-General formally handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture laboratory equipment that will boost Eswatini’s capacity to detect and control aflatoxins. Food quality control is an important part of meeting international standards, which will help boost intra-regional and international trade.

The equipment was procured by FAO and the World Food Programme (WFP) as part of a joint technical assistance project that will also see researchers trained on using the equipment and interpreting the results.

“We have no human health without plant, animal and soil health, so we need to focus on the full spectrum,” the FAO Director-General said.

He underscored that Eswatini has the potential to produce high-quality food because of its clean soil and water, and that FAO will continue to offer technical assistance for better production. He also added that tapping into the potential of agrotourism can contribute to the country’s agrifood systems transformation.

Eswatini’s Minister for Agriculture, Jabulani Mabuza, said it was a long-standing desire by the Government to properly equip and empower the laboratory.

“This is an important step in the right direction of ensuring the sustainability of the workforce and health of the people, and critical support to the export trade of Eswatini’s products,” he highlighted. 

The FAO-WFP project will also build skills among farmers on good pre- and post-harvest practices to avoid aflatoxins. 

Better nutrition is one of the four pillars of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031, together with better production, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

Earlier in the day, the Director-General met the Prime Minister of Eswatini H.E. Cleopas Dlamini.