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{
    "id": 1242829,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1242829/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 311,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Maanzo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13589,
        "legal_name": "Maanzo Daniel Kitonga",
        "slug": "maanzo-daniel-kitonga"
    },
    "content": "The country has to train more extension officers in agriculture because there are none. We must have a policy on extension officers because Kenya is an agricultural economy. We are doing away with extension officers gradually. Therefore, we must have a training policy for extension officers and have them placed in counties. They will work to save the nation from the gap we will face when there will be nobody with knowledge on handling herbicides, animal husbandry or crop production. All the extension officers who know about cotton are retiring. Others are dying out of economic hardships upon retirement. We have to look at the issue of extension officers so that when we grow cotton, we will have people who can guide the farmers. Unfortunately, today, farmers are guiding themselves when it comes to pesticides and herbicides. Companies such as Twiga Chemicals which manufacture these chemicals, are unable to do this. Financing the farmers is important. The Cooperative Bank of Kenya has been kind enough to work with coffee and tea farmers. They can now work with cotton farmers in cooperatives. They can finance cooperatives to buy and own ginneries. Finally, in the land tenure system, we need to be sure what role will be played by small holders. Big holders are mostly private companies who can grow the crop the way pineapples are grown. Having the cotton farmers belong to cooperatives will enable regional zoning and in turn, control of pests will be better especially if they are using natural methods. Cotton is attacked by pests when it is in balls. When it bursts open and the white cotton can be seen, there are pests which attack and give it bad colouring and damage the crop. Some of the pests are nasty and even breed in the situation. Therefore, we have to find a way of making sure the crop is taken care of properly. Then we will help Kenyans grow this crop. This Bill is important because without regulations or policy, there is a problem. The policy of cotton growing in this country is still wanting. Even before we make a law, the Government should have brought a policy ahead of the law. Since the Government has not brought a policy, we have to develop the law and the policy at the same time. This is why this law should also give good guidelines. The good news is that once the Bill becomes an Act, the regulations will now rely on this Act and fit in what was left out in the main Act. The regulations will also go a long way to explain how some of these processes should be implemented, so that the country and farmers can benefit."
}