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"id": 1498862,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1498862/?format=api",
"text_counter": 456,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Speaker",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Question by Hon. Joyce Kamene. I have a letter authorising Hon. Kiamba to ask the Question on her behalf. Hon. Kiamba, go ahead. Question 027/2024."
},
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"id": 1498863,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1498863/?format=api",
"text_counter": 457,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Speaker",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
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"id": 1498864,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1498864/?format=api",
"text_counter": 458,
"type": "scene",
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"speaker": null,
"content": "Question 027/2024"
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"text_counter": 459,
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"speaker": null,
"content": "POLICIES TO REDUCE IMPORTATION OF FOOD TO THE COUNTRY"
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{
"id": 1498866,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Makueni, WDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Suzanne Kiamba",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I wish to ask this Question on behalf of Hon. Joyce Kamene of Machakos County. Hon. Speaker, I beg to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development the following question: Could the Cabinet Secretary- (a) State the long-term sustainable measures the Ministry is putting in place to lower the cost of agricultural inputs other than the provision of subsidised fertilisers, considering the rising food prices in the country on account of inflation? (b) State the programmes and policies the Ministry has implemented to reduce the importation of food to the country and ensure food self-sufficiency? Thank you."
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{
"id": 1498867,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1498867/?format=api",
"text_counter": 461,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Speaker",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Cabinet Secretary."
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"id": 1498868,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1498868/?format=api",
"text_counter": 462,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dr Andrew Mwihia Karanja",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. On the first question about the sustainable measures the Ministry is putting in place to lower the cost of inputs, first of all, we note that the question indicated the food prices were rising but, from recent figures, we note that the prices of most foodstuff have come down. Inflation has also come down. However, one of the things we are doing to make sure that the cost of production and sustainable measures are put in place is promoting local fertiliser production. We are hoping that by doing so, the cost of fertiliser will further come down. We are also doing blended fertiliser production. We have factories which have come up in Nakuru and Eldoret to start blending fertilisers. Fertilisers which are blended are better because they allow farmers to use specific fertilisers. We have also developed high-yielding seed varieties that are focusing on drought- resistant and pest-resistant crops, which are suitable for different regions in the country. We are promoting climate-smart agricultural practices through the use of climate techniques to mitigate climate-related risks. We have also put in place subsidies on input credit programmes, such as the Smart Input Subsidy Programme using e-vouchers to target smallholder farmers, input credit facilities tailored towards farmers such as the Agricultural Finance Corporation, Commodity Fund, the New Kenya Planters Co-operative Union (NKPCU), among others. We are also promoting cell health and sustainable farming practices. The second question was on stating the programmes and policies the Ministry is using to reduce the importation of food in the country and ensure self-sufficiency. One, the major imports we have been doing in this country is on food items, and it is a concern to us. We are actually importing foodstuff worth about USD$4 billion. That is about Ksh500 billion. The main imports are mainly edible oils, mafuta ya kupikia, wheat and rice. Sugar was also in the list, but it has recently come out of the list. For edible oils, we have distributed 556 metric tonnes of sunflower, which we have distributed to farmers all over the country for 200,000 acres in 2024, in order to produce about an estimated 40,000 metric tonnes of edible oil. This project is aimed at cutting import costs by 50 per cent in five years. Other edible oils that are covered by the project include canola, simsim and palm oil. This is, therefore, an edible oils promotion project, which is aimed at cutting our import of edible oils. Wheat is another major import commodity which we have been importing. We have been working with Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) to promote the production of quality planting materials and varieties."
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"id": 1498869,
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"text_counter": 463,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dr Andrew Mwihia Karanja",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development",
"speaker": null,
"content": "The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
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"id": 1498870,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1498870/?format=api",
"text_counter": 464,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dr Andrew Mwihia Karanja",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development",
"speaker": null,
"content": "However, what we need in the country is to ensure that whatever is produced in the country by our farmers is mopped up before any miller can import wheat. There is a wheat purchase programme which ensures that we purchase all the wheat in the country before any importer is given a license to import."
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{
"id": 1498871,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1498871/?format=api",
"text_counter": 465,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dr Andrew Mwihia Karanja",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development",
"speaker": null,
"content": "We have also embarked on a land commercialisation initiative. This is an initiative where we are teaming up with the private sector to encourage them to come and lease land from Government institutions like the Agriculture Development Corporation (ADC). We are giving leases from 10 to 35 years. Some of them have come up with leases where they are able to grow crops like canola, simsim and sunflower. This will also help us to improve our local production. On livestock, because it is also an important area, when it comes to milk, we are also importing a big chunk of products, especially value-added products like cheese. What we are doing is to ensure that we give farmers incentives to produce more milk. We are going to provide milk coolers to dairy farmers. Currently, we are in the process of procuring milk coolers to reduce post-harvest loss in milk. The one that is collected is improved and processed. We had already distributed about 350 coolers between 2018 and 2022. Currently, we are procuring 230 coolers which will be distributed in early January to February 2025. This is to ensure that farmers get coolers and preserve milk. That way, there will be no loss and there will be improved production."
}
]
}