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{
    "id": 1179894,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1179894/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 300,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "I want to shed light on the fact that we are repeatedly talking about solutions that have already been stated, written out and reports put out through various institutions such as Vision 2030, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation, consortiums and Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). We know and have the solution to the mitigation of drought and hunger in this country. What we need is the goodwill and an intentional approach. I specifically want to talk of something that was pushed as the agenda of the Kenya Kwanza Government. While we were out on campaigns, we talked to farmers trying to understand what the challenges are. We understood and saw that farmers had stopped growing cotton because we are not purchasing it. There is no market or real value for it in Kenya. Farmers have stopped the large-scale production of maize. This is because a farmer will produce, harvest and store their maize and when they take it to the NCPB, it takes five to six months to be paid. So, with time the frustrations of getting a commercial gain as a farmer have been stipulated clearly. I will speak on one thing today because it under this Motion, but we are not looking at it from an intentional approach. We just launched the Hustlers Fund which is supposed to push economic activities, including agriculture which is an economic activity. It is also supposed to ensure that our farmers are able to scale up their activities and get to a point where they are not small-scale but large-scale farmers. I take this opportunity to urge those involved in the Hustlers Fund; the technical team and our President that we have youth who are farmers and are engaging in agri-tech businesses. They are using technology to spur and push the future of this country in terms of food security. The activities that these farmers are engaging in cannot be financed, or supported by the Hustlers Fund as it is now with the processes they have put. These kind of start-ups that are actually touching on food security should be given special attention even though we are saying that it is equal to all and the Fund has to be standard for every business. We are looking at a situation where we are about to address this country and say we are in a state of emergency and drought is killing our people. Therefore, as a Government, if our intention is to ensure that youthful people are focusing their businesses on agriculture, technology in agriculture and specifically for food security, they must be put in some special place where they can be promoted. This is because they are dealing with a direct issue and addressing a serious concern right now. We cannot just assume that everyone gets Kshs500 or Kshs300. What will Kshs500 do for a youthful person conducting an agritech business? A person trying to ensure that their production of eggs, vegetables and any form of food is scaled up? We have the potential to increase our food production. We have the human and land resources. We have a lot of idle land. We also have institutions and organizations taking money from the Exchequer, but are not working. I would like to see what Vision 2030 has done since they put out these objectives of ensuring that we have food security this whole time. I would like to see all that the consortiums and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) that have been set up under the"
}