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{
"id": 1379734,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1379734/?format=api",
"text_counter": 130,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Teso South, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Mary Emaase",
"speaker": null,
"content": "which the Board became ineffective. Importation of second-hand clothes commenced. This posed a serious challenge to the local cloth industry, and the firms gradually collapsed. What we are asking is whether this can be reversed? These challenges can be addressed. Therefore, the sector still has a huge potential. All those that have been revived are private ginneries except one in Luanda, Busia County. A lot still needs to be done because there is great potential that is untapped, which can create a lot of employment opportunities. Today, we only have three existing factories: RIVATEX, SUPRA and Thika Textile Mills. The three require 100,000 bales of lint, which is equivalent to 45,000 metric tonnes to operate at optimum capacity. However, as I said earlier, the current production is only 7,000 bales. What happens to the balance? The balance is being imported from the neighbouring countries: Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. We could actually engage our farmers to begin to produce so that we create more value and benefit our farmers in this country. Some of the ginneries we have are Meru Ginnery in Meru County; Sugin Ginery in Tharaka Nithi; Kitui Ginery in Kitui County; Makueni Ginnery in Makueni County; Salawa Ginnery in Baringo County, and Luanda Ginnery in Busia County. Hon. Temporary Speaker, so many others have not been operationalized. Even in Busia County, where I come from, we still have Amukura and Malakisi Ginneries. We only have one in Mulwanda. For a farmer in Teso North or Teso South to transport his cotton all the way to Mulwanda in Funyula is quite a distance. There are so many of these ginneries across the country, and they may require to be operationalized if we are to achieve our objective. Hon. Temporary Speaker, in short, I am just saying that the average ginning capacity utilisation across ginneries is less than 25 per cent due to low supply of raw materials – that is the seed cotton. Further, in 2019, the country embraced BT Cotton so as to scale up cotton production. BT Cotton is a high yield pest resistant and drought tolerant improved breed of cotton but it was so expensive that very few farmers came on boarded through a subsidy programme. However, I am happy that currently the government has taken it up in the list of farmers who have just been registered. They were supplied with BT Cotton seeds and we expect to get better yields and better output out of those interventions. A few farmers were accommodated then. That is very important because we are setting up industrial parks. They are expected to do ginning, textile production and cloth making with the main goal of creating employment opportunities. This cotton seed can also be used to make cotton seed cakes that can be used in dairy farming, thereby, increasing production of milk. It can bring down the cost of milk. It will help to create a lot of opportunities for our farmers. Hon. Temporary Speaker, allow me to go back to the Bill. As I said, the objective of this Bill is to promote the development of a globally competitive cotton industry. The Bill seeks to facilitate the production, value addition and processing of safe and healthy cotton and its products. The Bill provides a framework that will promote the generation of high income for cotton farmers and traders. This Bill provides a framework for the continuous and sustainable research and extension services for the development of the cotton industry and to facilitate the introduction of modern farming techniques and general modernisation of the cotton industry. This Bill also seeks to provide a framework for provision of financial support to the various players in the cotton industry. This is contained in Part I. Part I also provides for interpretation of a number of terminologies that will be used in this Bill. It provides definition of the board, the Cabinet Secretary, the Chief Executive Officer and the Cotton industry, which includes growers, ginners, spinners and cotton value addition industries. Basically, Part I is on interpretation and the objects of this Bill. Hon. Temporary Speaker, Part II speaks to the establishment of the Cotton Industry Board. It provides that there shall be established a Cotton Industry Board. It goes further to give the powers of the Board. The Board will have its headquarters in Nairobi but it will also The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor"
}