By PETER DURU

The President of Agricultural and Allied Employees’ Union of Nigeria, AAEUN, Comrade Simon Anchaver has warned that Nigeria was at the brink of a major food crisis if urgent steps were not taken to tackle the malpractices that trail the distribution of agricultural inputs and fertilizer products in the country.

Comrade Anchaver lamented that political office holders who engage in the distribution of the products ensure that the fertilizers do not get to genuine farmers, thereby frustrating government’s efforts at development of the agricultural sector.

The newly elected AAEUN President who made this assertion, while fielding questions from newsmen in Makurdi stated that the development accounts for the inability of farmers to meet the food needs of the country.

He urged governments at all level to put in place a well mapped out distribution chain that would ensure that farm implements and fertilizer products gets directly to the end users especially through agricultural extension workers.

He charged the state and federal governments to also encourage dry season farming in all parts of the country as a means of boosting food production in the country.

Comrade Anchaver, who regretted that successive governments in the country have continued to pay lip service to the much talked about revolution in the agricultural sector advised that much more resources be dedicated to agricultural activities in the country.

He further canvassed for a specialized salary structure for agricultural and allied workers to galvanize the morale of workers in the sector and also boost activities in the sector.

The newly elected AAEUN President also called for the inclusion of a representative of agricultural workers in the National Council on Agriculture in order to avail the council first hand information from agricultural workers in the country.