agriculture 29 August 2026 Parliament of Uganda
Soroti Farmers Under Fire for Underutilizing Aflatoxin Removal Machine
The Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Hon. Desire Muhoozi, has criticized Soroti farmers for failing to utilize a crucial aflatoxin removal machine, despite its availability since 2018. This comes after concerns were raised that 80% of cereals purchased by a local factory contain harmful aflatoxins. Source: https://www.parliament.go.ug/index.php/news/4586/soroti-farmers-faulted-failure-utilise-aflatoxin-removal-machine
Farmers in the Soroti region are facing criticism from the Ministry of Agriculture for not making use of a valuable aflatoxin removal machine. The machine, intended to safeguard public health and improve the quality of agricultural produce, has reportedly remained idle since its installation in 2018.
The issue was brought to light by Bukedea County MP, Hon. David Okwere, who revealed that a significant portion of cereals processed at the PELA commodities factory in Soroti Industrial Park are contaminated with aflatoxins. Okwere stated that approximately 80% of the cereals being purchased by the factory contain these dangerous toxins, posing a serious health risk to residents of the Teso Sub Region.
“All the cereals which this factory is purchasing have got about 80 per cent of aflatoxins and this is a red flag that all the people in Teso Sub Region are consuming aflatoxins,” Okwere stated, urging the Ministry of Agriculture to intervene to prevent potential health crises, including cancer.
In response, Minister Muhoozi expressed disappointment, noting that the government had invested in the machine specifically for the Teso sub-region as per requests. She indicated that the Uganda Development Corporation is now considering privatizing the equipment due to its underutilization. The Minister urged local leaders to actively encourage the community to utilize such government-provided resources.
Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (Industry), Hon. David Bahati, has pledged to coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture to send a technical team to Soroti to investigate the situation on the ground.
Aflatoxins are toxic and carcinogenic compounds produced by certain molds, particularly in warm and humid conditions, and can contaminate staple crops like maize, groundnuts, and grains. Consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated food can lead to severe liver damage and long-term health problems.