Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1382546,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1382546/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 42,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sigowet/Soin, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Justice Kemei",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. Sigowet/Soin is not a very difficult name. It is a combination of two divisions: Sigowet and Soin. That is why it is called Sigowet/Soin. Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to contribute to this important Bill. At the outset, let me congratulate Hon. Emaase for bringing it to Parliament. As I do this, let us look back at the contribution of cotton to the economy of this country. There was a time when it was doing exceptionally well. However, when we mismanaged agriculture and the cooperative movement, the demise of this crop joined the rest of the crops in the country, including pyrethrum, whose production is declining. Cotton grows in almost all parts of this country. The Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), including the Sigowet/Soin Constituency, are places where we can grow cotton. As I speak, the lower parts of Kaplelartet Ward, Soliat Ward, and Soin Ward grow cotton. It is a crop that grows well along with other crops like sugarcane, which we grow in our area. As I support this Bill, I want us to look at the budget that we allocate the agriculture sector. It is very dismal and cannot enable us to realise the full potential of agriculture in this country. The budget that we allocate to the agriculture sector in the national Government is about three per cent of the country's overall budget. If you look at the county governments, the budgetary allocation for the agriculture sector is meager. We must encourage the national and county governments to invest more money in agriculture. The moment you do it, it contributes three times the money you have invested. This is one area in which I wholeheartedly accept the contribution of biotechnology. We need to ensure that Bt cotton seeds are available in as many parts of the country as possible. We cannot avoid biotechnology in today's world. Let us adopt it in the growth of cotton. I am sure we will grow more cotton that can fulfill the market requirements at the global level. The 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"
}