Zanzibar — The government is finalising construction of modern warehouses for cereal storage as part of initiatives to mitigate poisonous fungi, which are threatening food security.

Agriculture, Irrigation, Natural Resources and Livestock Minister Shamata Shaame Khamis told the House of Representatives here on Friday that poor storage is one of the contributing factors to the poisonous fungi.

He said according to a situational analysis by the ministry, the fungi are a serious problem in the islands, affecting mostly maize and groundnuts.

Minister Shamata was answering a question by Mwanakwerekwe Representative, Mr Ameir Abdalla Ameir who sought to know the government strategies to mitigate the poisonous fungi, which are threatening the country's food security.

The minister said a total of 1,853 farmers have already undergone training on the best farming and storage practices to counter the fungi, adding that the government has procured two modern machines for the fungus testing.