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{
    "id": 1379736,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1379736/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 132,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Teso South, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Mary Emaase",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "cotton cooperative society or cotton association, unless such a person is registered by the respective county government in which the business is undertaken. Notwithstanding subsection (1), a grower who is a registered member of a cooperative society or cotton association which is registered by a county government, shall be exempted from registration by the county government. This is because if you are already registered by the cooperative society or by the cotton association, you do not have to be registered again by the county government. Sub-section (2) shall apply to a grower on condition that the cooperative society or cotton association is registered in the same county. So, you cannot be registered in another county and then you seek exemption in this county. It has to be within the same county. The Bill speaks about the role of the county government in Clause 32 that, the County Executive Committee Member shall designate such collection centres as the members shall, in consultation with cotton growers in the county, determine. Remember that a cooperative society shall be formed in every ward and they will manage the farmers in the distribution of inputs, controlling of pesticide and collection of cotton. Centres have to be designated where cotton is collected and deposited before other processes. This Bill is very important and I want all of us to support it for purposes of improving cotton farming in this country. Looking at Part VI on miscellaneous provisions, each county government may enact county specific legislation. It talks about legislation to be followed and the criteria for registration of cotton growers within each respective county. So, each respective county is given leeway to process its own legislation. Part VII has the transition provisions whereby Clause 51 states: “51. On the appointed day, all rights, obligations and contracts which immediately before the coming into operation of this Act, were vested in or imposed on the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) with respect to the cotton sector shall, by virtue of this section, be deemed to be the rights, obligations and contracts of the board as the case may be.” This transfers all contracts, litigation funds and assets to the board, so that it takes responsibility to any reference in any other legislation that refers to AFA in any written law or in any contract, document or instrument of whatever nature in relation to cotton, shall, on appointment day, be read and construed as reference to the board. I urge all of you to support this, Bill. Before I close, I take this opportunity to thank Hon. Betty Syengo, who was the originator of this Bill in the Senate and my co-sponsor. I urge Members, especially those from the cotton growing regions to support because they know what it meant to our farmers, when cotton was doing well in this country. We need to reclaim the glory of cotton because the Government is ready to support. I was looking at the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) yesterday and revival of the cotton industry is key. It has been captured and taken to the Ministry of Trade as one of their core priority areas. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I beg to move."
}