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{
    "id": 1087462,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1087462/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 239,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 124,
        "legal_name": "Samson Kegeo Ongeri",
        "slug": "samson-ongeri"
    },
    "content": "When you are talking of the Americans, Africans and Asian tigers, there are the middle level skilled men with power. These are the people who will expand the economy and increase the job opportunities. Therefore, you must have a standard and framework of qualification. Madam Temporary Speaker, hence when you look at this Bill, the purpose is to provide a framework for the establishment of systems for the administration of training in vocational and training within a county. This is so that you have a uniform training policy throughout the whole country. When you are dealing with green economy of agriculture, there is a paucity of microenterprises, for instance, value addition. There are agro industries that we need to do. Our farmers today literally are being robbed of their sweat in the farms. Take, for instance, a very simple thing like the avocado. An ordinary farmer in Kisii and we are encouraging them to plant their avocados. They pick their avocados, stack them in sacks which are beyond measure. The weight is beyond 100 kilos and they are only paid peanuts of Kshs5 if they are lucky, but they will get the shrewd businessmen who will only pay them Kshs2 or Kshs3. All that is required is to create a microenterprise the cold storage. Madam Temporary Speaker, the cold storage will have these functions. First, how you can organize the supply chain from a farmer to the cold storage in a market place. How to grid those products into various qualities as grade one and two. Avocados once exported as grade one that has a variety which has been brought in this country which will fetch USD2 to USD3 internationally. Compare the USD2 to USD3 dollars being fetched internationally when a farmer is only getting Kshs5 at most or Kshs2. That is a waste of time, labor and energy and the input that the farmer has put in the planting and taking care of these elements. It is wasted away. When we have our own children, our boys and girls going through these vocational and technical training centers, they will acquire these skills that will enable them run the small little cold storages. They can pick the products from the farmers, do the grading and marketing. Since we are already in this House who are very forward looking, there is an Act of Parliament that we passed here, the warehousing facilities. Combine the warehousing facility and these cold storages. You are able to create a formidable market. You release your products in accordance with the market survey. Then you have the wider element. Those who are trained in procurement, survey, and export business will help the farmers to sell their items to the rest of the world. Madam Temporary Speaker, look for instance the bananas from Meru and Kisii. It is a waste of time. Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki, people are struggling with stack of lorries coming all the way from Embu and Kisii to this place and selling them at a throwaway price. Farmers are getting nothing. We should be in a position to add value. The only way you can add value is to create this thing. I wish I had more time because this is a subject which is pet to me. I would have really talked for a long time. However, this is an area that we can add value. We can improve the economy at the cash level, farmers’ level and the potential for employment at the farm gate, cold storage, marketing, and export levels. You create jobs along those chains. Opportunities are innumerable and many. I am happy that this Bill deals with setting up and the level which we must start is at the crafts level so we can move forward. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}