The Fourth Plate

As India’s agricultural exports strive for global prominence, the 2025 monsoon in Gujarat has cast a formidable shadow over one of its flagship commodities: groundnuts. 
With rainfall 15–25% above average and sustained showers through critical pod filling and harvest stages in key districts such as Saurashtra, Banaskantha, Rajkot, and Junagadh, the risk of aflatoxin contamination has surged alarmingly. This invisible menace threatens not only the quality of the crop but the very reputation of Indian groundnut exports on the premium world stage.
Aflatoxins, toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi like Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, flourish in conditions of high moisture and slow drying. The 2025 monsoon’s prolonged rains have created just such an environment, particularly during harvest when kernels remain vulnerable. Localized pockets where harvest delays and drying inefficiencies coincide now face heightened aflatoxin incidence, imperiling entire export consignments if immediate mitigations are not enforced.
The scenario demands urgent attention across the supply chain. Not all affected lots will carry contamination uniformly; risk varies sharply depending on how swiftly drying, sorting, and testing protocols are implemented post-harvest. Processing units offer some buffer by diverting suspect produce to oilseed crushing, but the ready-to-eat and export segments require rigorous quality assurance measures.
The Risks and What They Mean for Exporters
Exporters confront several intertwined risks. Wet harvest conditions coupled with slow drying foster fungal colonization and aflatoxin synthesis. Aggregating mixed lots risks cross-contamination, while inadequate testing can open Pandora’s box — triggering rejections by stringent overseas regulators and severe trade losses. India’s recent experience with multiple RASFF alerts — raised by European authorities between March and August 2025 — over aflatoxin B1 levels exceeding EU safety thresholds underscores the urgency. Each rejected consignment chips away at global confidence in India’s agricultural exports.

What the Groundnut Value Chain Must Do Now

From aggregator to exporter, a meticulously coordinated approach is non-negotiable:

1. Procurement & Aggregation: Source exclusively from verified farmers’ organizations implementing strict moisture and drying controls. Visual inspection at intake should reject any pods showing mold, shriveling, or black spots. Maintaining traceability via recording harvest dates and farmer identity is essential.
2. Drying & Storage: Kernels must be dried rapidly to under 10% moisture through raised platforms, solar/mechanical dryers, or hot-air units. Avoid re-wetting or overnight heap storage. Clean, dry storage in godowns maintaining temperatures below 30°C and relative humidity under 65% will prevent fungal growth.
3. Testing & Quality Control: Rapid aflatoxin strip testing for every 10–15 metric ton lot is imperative before acceptance. Positive or borderline lots require confirmatory laboratory testing using advanced techniques such as HPLC or ELISA. Segregate lots into three categories:

• Category A (≤10 ppb): Safe for export and food use 
• Category B (11–20 ppb): Suitable for domestic processing only 
• Category C (>20 ppb): Must be diverted to oil extraction or disposal

Maintain thorough testing documentation for traceability and accountability.

4. Processing & Export Handling: Utilize optical or electronic sorters to clean and grade kernels, minimizing human error and contamination risk. Avoid prolonged storage before shipments and use moisture-proof packaging. Fumigation should only be applied where regulatory frameworks permit.
5. Export Readiness: Ensure pre-shipment certification from NABL/FSSAI-accredited labs confirming aflatoxin levels comply with Codex and EU standards (≤2 ppb AFB1, ≤4 ppb total aflatoxins) especially for ready-to-eat products. Retain lot-wise testing certificates for audit and dispute resolution.

Calls to Action for Agencies and Industry Bodies

Export promotion authorities must immediately disseminate sensitization circulars urging exporters and inspection agencies to exercise heightened vigilance for the 2025–26 season. Strengthening testing infrastructure at major port godowns such as Kandla, Mundra and Pipavav is critical. Authorities like APEDA, IOPEPC, and FSSAI should collaborate to institute 100% screening protocols for rainy-season consignments originating from Gujarat.

Longer-term, investment in cluster-based drying units and biocontrol techniques during the 2026 kharif crop season can mitigate recurring aflatoxin challenges, enhancing India’s ability to compete for premium markets.

Why This Matters

Aflatoxin management is not merely a technical compliance issue; it goes to the heart of India’s export credibility. The global marketplace’s tolerance for substandard or unsafe produce is minimal. A single consignment rejected on aflatoxin grounds can reverberate like a black mark against the entire Indian groundnut industry with adverse consequences for farmer incomes, export revenues, and international trade relations.

India’s vast agri-export potential is enormous, but to fully unlock it, the groundnut value chain must embrace disciplined quality controls, transparency, and modern testing technologies. Resolute commitment across farmers, aggregators, processors, exporters, and regulators can transform risk into reliability, preserving the hard-won trust of discerning global buyers.

Closing Thoughts

The time to act is now. Gujarat’s 2025 monsoon is a warning shot that nature’s challenges to food safety will only grow. It demands an equally robust, science-driven response from the Indian groundnut fraternity. Let this be the season where every stakeholder steps up — securing India’s place not just as a producer, but as a trusted purveyor of premium, aflatoxin-safe groundnuts on the world stage.

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Dr. Mukti S. Basu, Ph.D, is a distinguished scientist specializing in peanut research and agricultural innovation. With a career spanning over three decades, he has played key roles in advancing food security and sustainable agriculture. Dr. Basu earned his M.Sc. in Agriculture and Ph.D. in Genetics and Plant Breeding from the University of Calcutta before joining the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in 1972.
During his 36-year tenure at ICAR, he served as All India Project Coordinator and Director of the National Research Centre for Groundnut, leading numerous impactful international projects. These include United Nations Development Programme initiatives for aflatoxin-safe groundnut production, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) projects on drought resistance and water use efficiency, as well as European Union-funded work on Bambara groundnut cultivation in semi-arid regions.
Dr. Basu’s expertise has been sought globally, including roles as Visiting Scientist at ICRISAT’s Asia Centre and UNIDO consultant in Africa for aflatoxin management. Beyond research, he has held leadership positions such as Executive Director at Urvara Biotech and Vice President at Kristian Seeds Ltd. Currently, he is the Managing Director of SBSF Consultancy, a multidisciplinary scientific group serving the food, agriculture, and life sciences sectors across India, Europe, and the United States.