Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1406199,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1406199/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 125,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tigania West, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) John K Mutunga",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to speak to this Motion on Ratification of the Kenya- European Union Economic Partnership Agreement. I support it. There are 27 countries in the EU with an economy of Euro16 trillion. That is a very huge economy which we, as a country, need right now to grow. I have gone through the Report and noted some of the issues that we wished to see happen before its adoption. People were invited to submit their memoranda which they did. I will single out some of the key or potential beneficiaries of this Agreement. Once this market opens up, the Tea Board of Kenya will be one of them because we sell a lot of tea out there. We have a strategy to increase the amount of tea and coffee we sell. We lost the coffee quota. We used to sell more than 120,000 metric tonnes, but currently we only sell around 51,000 metric tonnes. We now have an opportunity to reach this market better. In some instances, we have been trading with the UK. We sell our coffee there and sometimes it is reconstituted. This Agreement brings in the opportunity for us to sell finished products. Therefore, Kenyan products are likely to be landing at the world market as Kenyan products but not reconstituted from another country. This is a greater benefit to this country. The cross-cutting nature of this Agreement is key and worth noting because it does not talk of selected products. Initially, the market was open for us to sell raw materials and floricultural or horticultural products. We have a wide scope of products that we can sell right now. I would like to point out that we need improvements in certain products. For instance, we would like to recapture the coffee and pyrethrum quota. We would also like to sell more products in these markets. This is one of the most ambitious Agreements that has been signed between EU and developing countries. It is also compatible with World Trade Organisation Agreement. Therefore, we are not likely to see minor agreements disrupting this Agreement, once it is signed. The growth of our economy is key. According to Kenya Vision 2030, we target to grow at 20 per cent. Right now, we are at around 7.4 per cent. This opportunity to trade with the EU will help us secure resources for growth. The 25 years that these countries have given us are a huge potential for Kenya to grow. We are likely to do a lot better than we have done. The fact that the Treaty has an immediate commencement date makes it commence immediately or the minute this House ratifies it. It will not wait for anther commencement period. That means we can start trading right away. It is important for us to realise that the European Union (EU) is our third major trading partner. With this kind of opening of their bonds and our products, we are likely to have it as the first trading partner because we will be dealing with 27 different countries in one. 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"
}