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{
    "id": 1399270,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1399270/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 260,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "During break season, since sugar takes long before it matures in the farm, if a farmer is not provided with proper capital support, they are either bound to abandon that trade or even sometimes sell their cane before it is properly mature. They may also abandon the trade altogether and prefer to do other farming such as such dairy and tea where one is paid frequently. I have seen the proposal and other documentation of what this administration intends to do with the sugar sector, including privatization that is not particularly mentioned in this document. I however know that it is important and interrelated. Zoning has been mentioned prominently. I know that there are people that have concerns about zoning. When we went to the Committee, we were particularly interested in telling the Committee that much as zoning is important so that farmers can also learn the culture of sticking. When the millers came to us and made their presentations before their Committee, they said unfortunately, Kenyans have not learnt the art of being decent and disciplined. Many times, you find farmers who come to you as a factory, they take farm inputs, but unfortunately, during the time of delivery of cane, they deliver it elsewhere. Therefore, there was a need to engage in this business of zoning so that you are able to have farmers that have a working relationship that is solid and established between the farming community and the millers. On the other side to counterbalance zoning, it is important to also provide an avenue for competition, so that farmers do not feel that they have been clogged up and are being forced to mill with a particular miller only where there is no competition, with regards to two things. Number one is the price of cane. I like that with the return of the pricing committee, they will be able to determine. There is a scientific formula that is set out on determining what the price is. That will be the work of the Board. The sugarcane farmers are supposed to be paid per tonne for delivery of cane to a particular factory and to all factories depending on the region where they are. It is important because we do not have many operational mills. Many of our Government mills you know are no longer operational or they do not pay farmers in time. It is unfortunate that each time these industries try to take strides in the direction such as with privatization, there are people who go to court and stop the exercise in its entirety. Part of the reason some of our regions farmers gave up on this exercise of planting cane was because they were delivering to Government mills, which could not afford to pay them. We do not have enough private millers to take care of this. That is why I support the decision on privatization. So long as we continue to guard these mills and ensure that the nucleus and the farm remain under the ownership of our county governments, privatization is a step in the right direction. I was making my point on zoning and why it is important so that particular farmers deal with the facts in their region. Opening it and making it free of charge where there is cane hawking and all these other practices, are items that were properly dealt with for those of us that were in Kisumu in 2022 when the former Governor of Kakamega Wycliffe Oparanya presented their report of the sub-sector taskforce. They delved on the importance of zoning. I agree with the proposals that they have made. The only addition that I make is that we must open up to counties. For The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}