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{
"id": 1379747,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1379747/?format=api",
"text_counter": 143,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Tigania West, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) John K Mutunga",
"speaker": null,
"content": "The Bill gives us an opportunity to closely focus on the necessary technologies in the cotton industry. It also encourages our researchers to innovate different varieties of cotton based on the agro-ecologies of our country. It will also help us to challenge our universities and research institutions to come up with appropriate management practices for cotton development in our country. Therefore, it specifically focuses on giving us an environment to intensify research in the cotton industry. The Bill is key in the sense that it re-organises efforts within the cotton sector and enables the upgrading of technologies, innovations and management practices in the country. The Bill will help us to promote the use of cotton. Cotton has many uses. It is used in the production of textiles and apparels, which at the end of the day results in a huge clothing industry. It is also used in the production of livestock feed. Our country suffers when it comes to availability of raw materials for livestock feed production. We have to import the protein components of livestock feed, which are industrial by-products of cotton, sunflower and others crops. After oil extraction, cotton seed is a major component in livestock feed manufacturing. We have been importing this from other countries like Tanzania and Uganda. The Bill gives us an opportunity to boost the textile industry in our country. This industry is key. Even after huge interference by introduction of second-hand clothes in the market, the textile industry is still the second most important employer in this country. Evidently, there are shops all over, most of which sell cotton products. However, if you ask yourself how many of those cotton products are of Kenyan origin, made from cotton from our farmers, they would be very few. Therefore, we need to focus on re-organising this industry. That is why the sponsors of this Bill have hit where it matters. Cotton peaked in terms of performance in our country in 1984. That is when we could produce over 70,000 bales of cotton. We had around 52 textile mills in the country. Many people were engaged in the cotton industry. We were producing many textiles and apparels of our own, and the textile and clothing industry was the second largest employer in the country. Unfortunately, many things happened to the sector, which Hon. Emaase has very ably articulated. They led to this value-chain being considerably affected. The number of mills has reduced from 52 to a mere 15, that is, if they are even working. Job opportunities in the cotton industry have considerably gone down. The cotton industry has collapsed. Therefore, the Bill has come to resuscitate it. We can sometimes explain ourselves out of the global economic reforms, bring in issues of the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) of the 1980s, or the many trade liberalisation attributes and say that that is why the cotton industry collapsed. However, the truth is that we stopped supporting that industry. We stopped supporting the farmers of this country. We had ginneries all over, but today, we have a paltry 15. The current production rate, from a peak of 70,000 bales back then, is only about 7,000 tonnes. The country has a huge potential of producing up to or more than 200,000 metric tonnes. It is possible for us to move cotton production from 7,000 metric tonnes currently to more than 200,000 metric tonnes. Let us look at the impact of having 193,000 metric tonnes more of cotton in this country. That translates to many more Kenyans engaged in production, handling and harvesting of the cotton and more ginneries will be revitalised, rehabilitated or refurbished to process the cotton. It also means that many more motor vehicles will be used to transport the cotton and many more industries will be opened. It will also mean that more Kenyans will earn a living through employment. As a country, we suffer high unemployment in terms of per capita. Our unemployment rate is extremely high but we have God-given opportunities in this country which we can embark on and do a great job. In this year’s Budget Policy Statement, this important industry has been allocated only Ksh170 million. The Ksh170 million compared to what has been proposed to be allocated to 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"
}