Maize shortage in Malawi has sparked severe hunger, with over 5.7 million people requiring food aid until next month when the harvesting season kicks in.
The food crisis, caused by El Nino-induced drought early last year, has stirred a wave of grave theft, forcing desperate farmers to harvest their maize before the cobs dry.
As thieves raid maize fields day and night, terrified farmers are spotted in a desperate rush to save part of their yield.
However, the hasty harvest carries deadly risks as early harvesting exposes the grain to aflatoxin contamination.
The molds are known to cause liver cancer, acute poisoning, and impaired growth, especially in children—apart from cutting grain marketability.
However, Alube Jousha 63, from Juma Village, Traditional Authority Somba in Blantyre, says leaving her maize to dry could be riskier than taking greenish cobs home.
“If I don’t harvest now, someone else will,” she says. “What will happen to my family of six if we lose our harvest to thieves?”
With the lean season underway, thieves have stolen some cobs from her plot and neighbouring fields.
“Last week, we woke up to the bad news; thieves stole cobs from my neighbour’s maize field. This prompted me to harvest mine even though it’s still green.”
She cannot leave any cob to chance.
The rushed harvest represents her only hope to escape hunger which reduced her family’s diet to boiled pumpkin leaves called nkhwani.
For the past two months, Aliya Bisiketi, from Chikocha Village in T/A Juma in Mulanje District, has had to employ a watchman to guard her field all day, every day.
“There were 10 of us. Each contributed K20 000 per month for the guard. We hurriedly harvested our maize last week because we could no longer afford the monthly contribution,” she said.
Apart from degrading grain quality, harvesting maize with high moisture content creates favourable conditions for mold growth. The molds include Aspergillus fungi, which produce harmful aflatoxins.
Large doses of aflatoxins can cause acute poisoning, leading to cancer, liver damage and death. Chronic exposure to smaller amounts of the toxic substance, which is widespread in Malawi’s grain and legumes, can suppress body growth and immunity to diseases, making one susceptible to deadly infections
Professor Limbikani Matumba, toxicologist and food safety scholar from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar), says the rushed harvest worsens the dangers of aflatoxins, especially when it takes too long to dry.
He explains: “The delayed drying of maize gives room for the development of mold, which may produce secondary aflatoxins.
“These toxins may lead to different health problems ranging from compromised nutrition, absorption and metabolism. Excessive consumption of such grain may lead to long-term development of cancer and even lead to death in extreme cases.”
The scholar advises farmers to fully dry their maize before bagging and consumption.
However, the drying of the hastily-harvested grain is further complicated by the prevailing rains and showers marking the end of the rainy season.
“Farmers should plant hybrid maize varieties that mature fast, but should dry the grain fully to reduce moisture content and the risk of aflatoxin contamination, ”he says.
Studies show consumption of aflatoxins in grain is associated with birth defects in babies, growth impairment in children and damage to organs in people of all ages.
The findings further indicate that the silent public health crisis claims 25 000 to 155 000 persons annually, mostly due to liver cancer from contaminated food.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, liver cancer associated with aflatoxins kills up to 905 677 persons yearly worldwide.
The Ministry of Agriculture guidelines for mycotoxin prevention and control in grains requires farmers to harvest maize when moisture content ranges between 18 to 24 percent.
The rulebook shows that grains with high moisture content are prone to aflatoxins contamination.
