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{
    "id": 1159107,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1159107/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 347,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherargei",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, in the region where we come from, most of our population are farmers and depend on farming; be it sugarcane, dairy or coffee farming. How then do we diversify? Although we share the nucleus of Chemelil Kibos and other sugar companies, you know sugarcane has been facing rough times. You also know the challenges in the maize and dairy farming. How do we diversify? It is a challenge for counties and we should put in place a policy and legal framework for diversification. In Kisumu County, they can encourage cotton farming so that when sugarcane farming is not working well, farmers can diversify to cotton for a nice livelihood. The issue of certificates and permits in Clause 23 is straightforward. Clause 23(1)(d) states that- “Regulate the cutting or destruction of cotton in order to conserve and protect the resources devoted to the cotton industry in the respective county.” I hope this clause is not prohibitive because it should not. The Chairman of the Committee can confirm that we used to have a situation where you could not uproot tea. Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri is in a better position to explain this. Under that colonial era, it was illegal to uproot tea under the Tea Act. We do not want to go there. I hope the framers of Clause 23(1)(d), did not have a prohibitive intent. As we encourage diversification, if a farmer in Isiolo County - where Sen. Dullo comes from - decides to do dairy or camel farming, they should not be prohibited from doing so. Although they are now growing cotton, they should not be prohibited from diversifying. I would like to mention a few issues on the role of the County Executive Member (CEC). Counties continue to lag behind in extension services. I am talking about services such as veterinary, training and capacity building for farmers. Farmers need to be trained in the farming process and how to get good seeds. It is also important to help farmers to organise cooperative societies. The tea and dairy industries have cooperative societies. We need to ensure that we put farmers into cooperative societies. Although I was quickly passing through that, we need to make sure that some of the nominees of the Board in the Cotton Industry Development Bill are representatives of the cooperative societies that deal with cotton, that come from the largest Cooperative Society in Kenya."
}