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{
    "id": 1425612,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1425612/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 228,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof) Kamar",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 33,
        "legal_name": "Margaret Jepkoech Kamar",
        "slug": "margaret-kamar"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for allowing me to support the Nuts and Oils Crops Development Bill (Senate Bills No. 47 of 2023). As I support it, I would like to congratulate Sen. Hamida for coming up with a very good Bill that looks at how we can produce quality nuts and oils. The Bill that provides for the production, processing, marketing and distribution of oil nuts is very important. We are very fortunate to have different climatic zones across the country. Right from the coast to the northern parts of this country that are dry, we can produce almost every nut to be consumed in the world. I remember a long time ago, there was the Sahel Programme, which was promoted by Israel and the Norwegians in Turkana County. It was supposed to produce palm oil. They called it the palm of the Sahel. I worked for the Ministry of Agriculture a little bit. During the research at that time, the soil testing from northern Kenya, in particular Turkana, showed that it could support the growth of dates from the Sahel. Therefore, it is possible for us to grow palm oil and dates growing in northern Kenya. This is something that has not been exploited. This Bill is moving us to another level where we should boldly look into production of some of these crops. We have limited ourselves as a country to products and cash crops that are known today, yet we know that there are so many other crops that can be produced. Currently, under the COMESA agreements, we allow for the importation of anything duty-free that comes from COMESA countries. We receive a lot of oil crops and products from Egypt, which we should be producing ourselves. We should not look helpless when it comes to the production of things we can grow in this country. So, I support this Bill because I know some areas have not been explored by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. If we explore those areas, we can produce oil crops and nuts that can be exported from this country, so that we avoid being a net importer. When it comes to oils, we are a net importer, yet we can produce it ourselves. I am happy that this Bill covers everything nut. We are a very lucky because cashew nuts produced in Kenya are some of the best in the world. Cashew nuts sold on the streets of Malindi town are not found anywhere else in the world. Outside this country, we see broken nuts. They are not of good quality in comparison to nuts sold on the streets of Malindi. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this Bill move us to the level where we add value and market farmers’s produce. As I said, cashew nuts sold in the streets of Malindi can find market 00 times anywhere if they are packaged properly. Our other problem has been being slow in value addition. I think some Senators have mentioned that even as we expand our agricultural products, the real challenge is 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."
}