FARMERS in Nigeria get under half their harvest to market because of poor handling, bad roads, and marketing bottlenecks, the agriculture minister has said. Other problems cited were the scarcity and high cost of transportation in some rural areas and difficulties at the ports for exports. In the 1960s Nigeria was a major agricultural exporter but today exports little foodstuffs, following a downturn in the agriculture sector. Agriculture Minister Adamu Bello said the government has planned to set up commodity marketing boards for several crops and produce lines and said demand existed for Nigerian produce, including fresh fruit and vegetables. Previous state-run commodity marketing boards in Nigeria have been plagued by corruption and mismanagement and agricultural experts have advised the government to promote privately run farmers cooperatives instead. – AFP