The Nampula facility is supplying Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia, but distribution, affordability, testing and grain certification will determine whether local production translates into safer food.
MOZAMBIQUE – A Mozambican factory produced close to 200 tonnes of the aflatoxin-control product Aflasafe during its first year of local production, according to a CGIAR report.
The factory, operated by AflaLivre SA in Nampula, supplied Aflasafe to Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia. The development moves an established crop-protection technology beyond field trials and registration towards locally manufactured regional supply.
Aflasafe is intended to reduce aflatoxin contamination before harvest. It does not test grain or remove toxins from food that is already contaminated.
Its regional value will therefore depend on more than factory output. Farmers need affordable access and correct application guidance, while buyers and regulators need credible testing, certification and market incentives for grain produced under an aflatoxin-control programme.
How the technology works
Aflatoxins are toxic compounds produced by certain strains of Aspergillus fungi. They can contaminate maize, groundnuts, sorghum and other crops, particularly where heat, drought, insect damage and poor drying or storage conditions favour fungal growth.
Aflasafe contains carefully selected, native strains of Aspergillus flavus that do not produce aflatoxins. When applied to a field before crop flowering, these strains compete with and displace toxin-producing strains.
The Mozambican formulations, Aflasafe MWMZ01 and MZ02, each contain four native non-toxin-producing strains carried on treated sorghum grain. Field protocols evaluated the products at approximately 10 kilograms per hectare, applied about two to three weeks before maize flowering or roughly 30 days after planting groundnuts.
Mozambique registered the two products for commercial use in February 2019, according to a 2026 systematic review of aflatoxin research in the country.
AflaLivre, a Mozambican company established in 2021, subsequently became a licensed local manufacturer.
Field evidence supports substantial reductions
The strongest publicly available evidence comes from a peer-reviewed farmer-led study conducted in Mozambique.
Researchers evaluated the two formulations with 468 groundnut farmers and 558 maize farmers over two growing seasons. Trials were conducted across several agro-ecological zones in Manica, Nampula, Niassa, Tete and Zambézia provinces.
Compared with untreated fields, the researchers reported aflatoxin reductions of:
- 78–98% in groundnuts
- 61–93% in maize
The results varied by crop, location and season. The researchers consequently recommended using Aflasafe as part of an integrated control programme rather than treating it as a complete solution.
Such a programme would still require timely harvesting, proper drying, sorting, moisture-controlled storage and testing at aggregation or purchasing points. The product cannot reverse contamination that has already occurred.
The study was supported by USAID and involved researchers from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, which owns the Aflasafe trademark and licenses manufacturers. The authors declared that they did not receive direct financial benefits from the product’s manufacture or marketing.
Building distribution and markets around production
CGIAR’s update indicates that commercialisation is proceeding differently in each of the three countries supplied by the Nampula factory.
In Malawi, The Anchorage Group formally relaunched Aflasafe distribution with the Ministry of Agriculture. The programme also established an associated commodity off-taker intended to purchase grain produced using the technology.
Partners are working on farmer training, product affordability, distribution, market connections and the possible revival of Malawi’s National Aflatoxin Consultation Forum.
In Mozambique, 29 stakeholders developed a proposed certification pathway for maize, groundnuts and sorghum meeting specified aflatoxin requirements. The proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Health, according to CGIAR.
If approved, it could give buyers a formal means of distinguishing tested, compliant commodities and provide farmers with a clearer commercial incentive to invest in prevention. No publicly accessible decision from the ministry confirming approval of the proposed system was identified.
AflaLivre has also strengthened its work with agricultural authorities in Nampula. The provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries reported that it signed a cooperation agreement with the company on 24 September 2026 to support efforts against aflatoxin contamination.
AflaLivre says nearly 300 government extension officers have participated in training connected with product distribution and farmer adoption. That figure remains a company claim and should not be interpreted as the number of farmers consistently using Aflasafe.
In Zambia, CGIAR said an initial distribution arrangement had not worked as intended and that IITA was licensing another partner. This suggests that product availability remains less established there than in Mozambique.