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{
    "id": 1184216,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1184216/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 251,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dagoretti North, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Beatrice Elachi",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also rise to support this Motion. As we debate this Motion, one of the things we need to ask ourselves as a country is that we have never even sat down to discuss why in our country many of our families are suffering today because of cancer. It is because we decided that food will be imported in this country. We will never be told whether they are GMO or organic. We have very many fruits that we are eating today that are imported. We have very many foods in supermarkets. Our children nowadays eat from KFC. It is important for us now, to start questioning before we even come to the issue of genetically modified maize, we must question the foods that have entered this country. Do we have reports that say they were fit for consumption or we decided to just import because it is business and we want to make money. I think that is what is ailing our country. Today our farmers and fathers in the North Rift, Western and Lugari have maize, and today we are saying that we have 10,000 bags of maize at the port. One of the things that we need to ask ourselves is that; we know the process of buying maize in this country, we know that it is passed in Parliament, Parliament will know and it will be gazetted that indeed there is drought and there is need for food. At the same time, we will be told by the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) of Kenya that we do not have enough maize. As we move on as a country and as we look at the Government now, it is important for this House to stand firm and remember how farmers have been crying about their maize. How farmers were crying in 2017 and 2018. I remember one time when senate went to Eldoret what they went through. That is what we are going to go through if we do not stop the Government and ensure the maize that is with farmers is bought at a good price. When you look at the cost of producing one acre of maize in this country, farmers spend the highest amount of money, yet we are about to bring in cheap maize and have forgotten that farmers have spent money. We have had COVID-19 and farmers have had to go through a lot before arriving where we are. It is unfair for the Government to forget that we have just come from a pandemic and that we need our farmers to also make money. You recently brought in fertiliser. What was the purpose of bringing fertiliser for farmers to use and then bring maize? I honestly think that it is like the Government looks at the farmer in the eye and decides to abuse their goodness, because they can afford to buy organic and let others especially those in Nairobi to start eating GMO food. They are aware that in the informal sectors, people are suffering. In the informal settlements, people do not have food. You cannot bring GMO for them to survive, yet we are here saying that we do not have a solution in terms of medical cover and families are being auctioned by hospitals. Therefore, as I finalise, it is important for the Government to have that respect of those who have just voted them in and to ensure that they can also trade. More importantly, we as Parliament must question the Cabinet Secretary. He must bring us a report on what research he The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for informationpurposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}