NAN-AE-6
Farmers
By Mercy Osajiugo
Lapai (Niger) Jan. 25, 2017 (NAN) Prof. Dennis Balogu of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, has urged the Niger Government to partner with the institution in training farmers in healthy food preservation techniques.
Balogu, a professor of Food Science and Technology and the Dean Faculty of Applied Science and Technology, made the call in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lapai on Wednesday.
Balogu said that the traditional food preservation ways, involving drying raw food via unwholesome means, was harmful, as people were prone to contracting a lot of diseases by eating such foods.
He said that sliced raw tubers like yam and cocoyam, as well as other perishables like pepper, okro and tomato were usually spread on the bare ground to dry up.
Balogu said that sometimes, the food items were spread on cellophane sheets by the roadside for them to become dry.
“This habit is detrimental, as it poses a lot of danger to the consumers.
“Chemicals that are sprayed on the ground to kill weeds subsist and continue to be effective on the ground and they are absorbed by food items spread on the bare ground.
“Wet food items spread on pedestrian walkways are usually trampled on by rodents such as rats which can be vectors of infections like Lassa fever,’’ he said.
Balogu noted that grains and legumes were also spread by the roadside to dry up, adding that the food preservation technique was unsafe, as the raw foods were prone to contamination by pollutants from moving vehicles.
The professor said that such foods were also prone to contamination by substances like faeces and urine.
“Food items can be contaminated by faeces and urine when they are exposed and spread on the bare ground or when animals walk on them.
“This contamination causes children and adults to be infected with worms and cirrhosis of the liver because of the presence of faecal matter in their food,’’ he said.
Balogu said that this had serious health implications, which could also be fatal.
He then called on the Niger Government to seek expert advice from IBBU on how to train farmers on how best to dry up raw food items and preserve them.
“This will ensure the safety of our food and promote healthy living,’’ he added. (NAN)
MNO/OOK
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Edited by Dayo Komolafe