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{
    "id": 1088341,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1088341/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 230,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen (Dr.) Musuruve",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13188,
        "legal_name": "Getrude Musuruve Inimah",
        "slug": "getrude-musuruve-inimah"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to support this Bill. It must be noted that from very long time ago, around 1893, coffee was a very important cash crop. I remember that when I was growing up, my grandfather had coffee and tea plantations. These were cash crops that would help families earn income. Coffee is largely grown in the Mt. Kenya region, particularly Kiambu, and other parts of the country. In as much as we say it used to be cash crop that benefited farmers, it was also a major foreign exchange earner for the country. However, because of cartels in this sector who exploited the coffee farmers, they made farmers uproot their plants. When I was a lecturer at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology (JKUAT) farmers at Karangaita Farm uprooted their plants because coffee farming was not economically viable. We need to support this Bill by Sen. Ndwiga because it is addressing pressing issues that coffee farmers are facing at the moment. They spend a lot of resources and time farming, but returns are zero. It is only in Kiambu where the coffee plants were uprooted, even in my grandfather’s farm, coffee trees were uprooted a long time ago because they did not seem to add any value. This is the kind of situation our farmers find themselves grappling with. As I said, they spend lot of time toiling on their farms, but their sweat benefits cartels. This also happened in the Mumias Sugar Company and the sugar growing areas. The sugar farmers in Mumias have been facing the same frustrations that coffee farmers are facing in the coffee growing areas. Some of them abandoned planting sugar cane because the returns benefit brokers in this sector. The issue of brokers in farming is real. We have to look for a mechanism of ensuring that we protect our farmers from brokers. This Bill comes in to protect coffee farmers from brokerage. The Bill talks about separation of powers. It cannot be that the person who farms is the same person who will do the milling and payment. That is corruption at the highest level, which we should not condone. This Bill comes in handy to ensure that the issue of exploiting farmers comes to a stop. It is very clear in this Bill that the person who does the milling is not the same person who farms and decides what to pay. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as a country, we have assigned many international laws to protect our farmers and the health institutions. Kenya is a signatory to the Abuja and Maputo declarations that seek to support health and farming. It is important that we stick to the declarations and ensure that we adhere to international standards and laws so that we protect our farmers. When it comes to farming, the farmer does not only help himself, but also helps the entire society, nation and international community. You will find casual labourers working on coffee farms. This means that if we can manage our farming activities and do away with cartels, we will create job opportunities for our people. Employment does not have to be through white-collar jobs where you find yourself in a tie, coat and a good skirt or suit sitting in an office. Even blue collar jobs come in handy to support the employment industry. Farmers play a big role. They employ themselves, their friends and their neighbours. They are able to eke a livelihood for themselves. So, there is need for us to ensure that we support and protect farmers. This is what this Bill seeks to do."
}