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{
    "id": 1009733,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1009733/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 119,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mwea, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Josphat Kabinga",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13441,
        "legal_name": "Josphat Kabinga Wachira",
        "slug": "josphat-kabinga-wachira-2"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I agree with the Report presented by the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Co-operatives. However, there are some facts on the ground that we need to look at. Some Kshs200 million worth of rice is lying in Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Co- operative Society stores and they have no capacity to take any more from farmers. Those stocks are deliveries by farmers who have not been paid. As I have always said, the returns to the farmers are so low that, if they are not paid for what they deliver, they really suffer. In those circumstances, Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Co-operative Society is either going to be forced to take a loan to pay the farmers who have delivered that rice or the farmers will go without payments – something that would be detrimental to the farmers. Some businesspeople have started taking advantage of that particular directive because of that temporary halting of purchase of rice from Mwea and the Kano Plains. Businesspeople are travelling all the way from Nairobi to buy rice in Mwea at cheap prices and hence exploiting the farmers who are unable to deliver their rice to Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Co-operative Society, whose storage facilities are currently full. This is likely to escalate the problem. The problem is likely to be even bigger in December, when we expect to have a bumper harvest. We have a lot of rice in the field. Again, farmers will not know where to take it if the KNTC does not come up with an immediate solution. I appreciate the mid-term and long-term plan by the KNTC, but the immediate solution to their current problem needs to be looked into. It is also worth noting that Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Co-operative Society, or the site itself, has lost its traditional markets due to the high but favourable prices that the directive has brought to the farmers. As we appreciate it, we also know that there are some markets that cannot sustain that particular price and, therefore, they cannot buy rice from Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Co-operative Society, hence exacerbating the problem. As I said, Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Co-operative Society will not be able to buy rice from farmers in December because of financial challenges as well as storage challenges. This, again, will be a major problem to farmers in both Mwea and the Kano Plains. This problem is not as small as the Ministry probably thinks. If nothing is done, both Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Co-operative Society and its sister society called Lainisha are likely to close down. If they close down, the farmers will have nowhere to turn to for financing because rice farmers in 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."
}