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{
    "id": 1262917,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1262917/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 66,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherarkey",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "This issue is very serious. Chesumei and Mosop sub-counties in Nandi County largely plant maize. However, we have always had challenges. I am surprised because maize crop is highly sought after to be eaten. My good brother and friend, the Senator of Nairobi City County, once said that anything else apart from ugali is not a serious meal. We must give maize farmers insurance the same way we have given livestock insurance to pastoralists. So, when the maize crop fails, maize farmers should be compensated. Secondly, we are currently having rains in the North Rift although some parts do not have regular rains. When the rains are inadequate, our crops normally fail because we need herbicides and acaricides. I am happy that I am seated next to the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. The elephant in the room is that there are some herbicides and acaricides which have been banned in the United States of America (USA) which have been linked to the increasing cancer cases in the country. I am surprised that the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) have not banned such herbicides. It has been discovered that it has cancerous elements. I challenge the Committee to look at this issue of failing maize crop in Bomet County. Third and final, we challenge the Kenya Seed Company Limited. They gave us seeds whose quality was poor compared to 6-choge. These seeds do not mature the way we expected them to. In most of our farms, some of the maize seeds have changed color because of the quality. I request that now that the budget and the Finance Bill, 2023, have passed, we must increase the allocation to the Kenya Seed Company Limited. The allocation will go into purchasing disease resistant maize seeds, among other seeds crops such as mung beans. As a region that plants a lot of maize, we expect a bumper harvest. The only challenge we had was the subsidized fertilizer. However, we thank the Government. We saw our President in his farm yesterday where the maize was maturing properly. I assure our brothers on the Minority side to give us two to three months and they will leave those sufurias in the kitchen for cooking. Thank you."
}