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{
    "id": 1425859,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1425859/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 213,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Mithika Linturi",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 69,
        "legal_name": "Franklin Mithika Linturi",
        "slug": "franklin-linturi"
    },
    "content": " Madam Temporary Speaker, let me start answering the Migori County Senator. The Ministry has a framework or is developing the process of ensuring that the potential areas that we have identified for rice farming are properly supported. I remember some time back, because rice is a close substitute for maize and our consumption for it is beyond one million tons every year, and yet we do not produce 30 per cent of it. That is one of the reasons why there is a serious squeeze on our foreign currency because we have to pay so much money. We have identified areas, including Migori, Tana River and Kirinyaga where we want to support farmers to grow rice. There are many areas that we have agreed require support for rice production. I may not be able to specifically tell you whatever support is coming to your county because that is not a question I was prepared to answer. However, if you want me to give you more specific answers to the question, then we do not mind getting a request on whatever you want us to explain to you. Your governor is my friend. We discuss once in a while on how to support Migori. I was supposed to have been there on the 13th and 14th, but unfortunately, other things arose and I was unable to make it. However, I made a commitment that I will visit. Your county is one of those areas that we want to support farmers to grow enough rice for us to be able to bring down the rice deficit in the country. Concerning the Karamu Slaughter House that you have just mentioned, I may not be able to give more details about it because I have heard it for the first time on the floor. Given time, we may do some bit of research and give my officers opportunity to look at it and respond appropriately. Madam Temporary Speaker, allow me to comment on the issue about trade markets for meat. Sen. Orwoba had asked what we want to do and the specific measures we are taking. The reason our export for meat has had issues is because we have not complied to certain standards, which ensure that our animals live in quarantine so that the risk of disease is minimized so that we are able to control the Food and Mouth Disease (FMD) and other diseases. One of the strategies or reasoning behind the 31 feedlots that we want to do is to ensure that the animals that we keep within the feedlots system will feed properly so that we improve on the quality of our meat. We will then invite those countries that have expressed interest in getting our meat to come, visit and see where our animals are kept. This is because they would want to satisfy that requirement of animals being under quarantine. When we do so, their movement will be restricted. The disease control is in place and, for that matter, the probability of them getting high-quality disease-free meat is guaranteed."
}