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{
    "id": 1025619,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1025619/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 315,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Dennitah Ghati",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13514,
        "legal_name": "Jacquiline Adhiambo Oduol",
        "slug": "jacqueline-adhiambo-oduol"
    },
    "content": "As you are aware, I come from Migori County and my people are sugarcane farmers. SONY Sugar Company has suffered under this kind of arrangement. You will realise that in Migori we have struggled to see how to save the farmers. The problem is between the Fund and the people themselves. That is why the Committee saw that the Ksh7.8 billion was serious money that could not be wasted. One of the recommendations the Committee brought on board which I wish to support, is that this board should see how it can write-off these loans. I like the word ‘writing-off’ because our farmers are suffering. They are unable to come into terms with the pricing of a tonne of sugar. That is why every time, in and out we see sugar farmers from SONY in Awendo, Chemilil and other sugar millers struggling to stay afloat and are unable to take care of their children. I support the recommendation the Committee has suggested that this board should consider writing-off loans previously advanced to farmers so that they can recover. I am speaking passionately about SONY Sugar Company because I come from Migori County. Sugarcane farmers in my county are suffering. SONY Sugar Company is not even able to pay the suppliers and yet we have Kshs7.8 billion that the Sugar Development Fund was not able to recover adequately from whoever they had advanced. I support this Report. I also support the idea of having the Sugar Development Fund investigated to really understand how this amount of money was lost during that period. This is a recommendation that the Committee where I sit recommended. We are saving the farmer of SONY, Chemelil and so many other farmers that are not able to harvest or to even take their children to school because they are not being paid. These are cane farmers who are suffering."
}