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{
    "id": 1083608,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1083608/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 313,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Moiben, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Silas Tiren",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2364,
        "legal_name": "Silas Kipkoech Tiren",
        "slug": "silas-kipkoech-tiren"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity to contribute to the Bill. I want to thank our colleague for bringing it up. The Bill is good. We had an opportunity to look at the Bill and we scrutinised areas that we thought will make the industry a better one. The principal object of this Bill is to create a proper legal framework to govern the sugar sector to address the plight of sugarcane farmers in the country. The House may recall, and it has been said by the sponsor, that the AFA collapsed many State institutions in the agriculture sector into one. This led to crucial sectors, such as sugar being overshadowed or not being attended to as required causing a negative spill-over effect to farmers. We have also touched many other areas of the Bill. I support the fact that we are re- establishing the Sugar Board. The Sugar Development Levy and the Sugar Development Fund shall address the challenges that the sugar sector faces. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the Committee also had opportunity, pursuant to Article 118 of the Constitution and Standing Order No.123(3), to subject the Bill to public participation. The Committee received memoranda from eight stakeholders mainly, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Cooperatives, Council of Governors, Sugar Manufacturers Association in Western Kenya Ltd, Natural Justice, the Kenya National Federation of Sugarcane Farmers, Sugar Campaign and for Change, Hon. Saulo Wanambisi Busolo, Douglas, M. Baraza, Moses Khaemba Wasike among others and written submissions from various stakeholders’ substantive amendments to the clauses of the Bill. Various stakeholders raised concerns, which I think have also been raised here. There were a number of key issues amongst them the clustering of the sugar catchment areas into zones. It has been very contagious and is causing a lot of uproar among the stakeholders. Zoning in the past has limited farmers in terms of market access of their produce, millers creating monopolies and other 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."
}