TORONTO: Canada has put a ban on corn imports from India. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced that it has started to hold Indian imports of feed corn so that it can be tested for aflatoxins.
According to the United States National Library of Medicine, aflatoxins are “toxins produced by a mold that grows in nuts, seeds and legumes.”
Iowa State University states that aflatoxins can kill livestock and is considered carcinogenic to humans and animals.
Aflatoxins can be found in peanuts and peanut butter, tree nuts including pecans, corn, wheat and oil seeds including cottonseed.
In a release, the CFIA said the testing is effective immediately and will detain “all incoming shipments of corn imported from India, including organic corn.”
Corn importers are now required to sample the corn and provide the CFIA with the results.
“Sampling must be done immediately after arrival at the Canadian destination because mold can grow and produce aflatoxins during shipping,” the CFIA release said.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has begun detaining corn shipments from India after learning of high levels of aflatoxin in organic livestock feed of the crop.
A teaspoonful of biology here. Aflatoxin is known to be carcinogenic for animals and humans. Considered to be a chemical produced by mould fungi, aflatoxin sprouts on turmeric, maize, chilly, ginger and can kill livestock. It is known to be a post-harvest issue and develops when its storage is not handled as per farming and packaging standards.
Development Authority (APEDA) has expressed its ignorance about the situation. Making no bones about the development, Dr. A. K. Gupta, Director (BEDF) of APEDA, tells The Dollar Business that, “We have not got any notification regarding any such crackdown from Canada.”
India has been a significant exporter of maize to Canada. Of the $182 million-plus of the Corn variety (non-seed) imported by Canada in CY2014, India accounted for almost 5% of the share. But the problem doesn’t end there. In all likelihood, other importing nations will catch the warning flares above the Canadian skies. And that will mean at least $200 million in lost consignment opportunities of the product (that could have been exported), if a ban is imposed for even a quarter of a year (assuming exports to remain stagnant at CY2014 levels, ceteris paribus).
Recently, Vietnam had threatened to ban groundnut imports from India after pests were found in some consignments. Saudi Arabia had also imposed a temporary ban on green chillies from India due to the presence of high levels of pesticides. Following the ban, APEDA advised exporters to adhere to the importing countries’ food safety requirements. Then there was the EU slap last year that made the Alphonso mangoes from India appear notorious! This list is long.
