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{
    "id": 1046799,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1046799/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 254,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Bomet Central, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ronald Tonui",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1242,
        "legal_name": "Ronald Kiprotich Tonui",
        "slug": "ronald-kiprotich-tonui"
    },
    "content": "very detailed explanation of the Bill. I was not sure what bixa was but, from his explanation, I think I have an idea of the crop and its importance. Anything touching on agriculture is very important because it will create employment and ensure that there is diversification of sources of income in the coastal region, so that it does not rely only on tourism. If we can encourage the growing of that crop so that there is another source of income, I believe that is highly welcome, especially so that the people we call “hustlers” and the people whom we fight for can be taken care of and have another opportunity to earn a decent living. So, the growing of that crop must be encouraged and must be supported to ensure that unemployment is dealt with at the Coast and generally in the country through agriculture. We have an opportunity to create employment through agriculture. So, this Bill is very important. Through the explanation, I got to understand that an inbuilt in this same Bill is the issue of access to loans by farmers who grow bixa. I think that is very good. The whole of that channel needs to be sorted out. Even the issue of marketing is well captured in the Bill. That is a very important aspect of the Bill which also needs to be supported. We should also ensure there is prompt payment of the farmers. There is a safety net inbuilt in this Bill to ensure that there is prompt payment to farmers. What we have had in many sectors is that payments are not made promptly. Pyrethrum farming collapsed because of lack of payment. The Mover and the Seconder have done adequate research on this Bill, so that we do not support a Bill that is not adequately researched. For example, when we supported the Tea Bill from the Senate, it appeared to be very beautiful. But it also created an Ad Valorem Levy, an extra charge on the farmer which was not there before. It is being reintroduced and yet, we had removed it in the 11th Parliament. We put a lot of effort to remove it. Personally, I came up with a Bill to remove the Ad Valorem Levy. Through the Tea Bill, we have introduced the levy. I believe the Movers of the Tea Bill may have concentrated majorly on the eastern side of the country. But when we have those powers given to the CS to make regulations, he may say 50 per cent of earnings must be paid monthly. Currently, gross earnings from tea are at Kshs18 and tea bonus is at Kshs10. That totals to Kshs28 and 50 per cent of that is Kshs14. Currently, farmers earn Kshs18. So, that is going to reduce their earnings to Kshs14. Those are some of the issues that were inbuilt in the Tea Bill, which is quite unreasonable to tea farmers in the western region of Kenya. It is very unfair to them. Other regions may be excited about it, but farmers in Bomet and Kericho are not happy."
}