HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 1464790,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1464790/?format=api",
"text_counter": 218,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kakamega County, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Elsie Muhanda",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I take this early lead to congratulate Hon. Millie Odhiambo “Anguka Nayo” as our new Minority Whip. As women, we are very proud of her. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I rise to request for a statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock regarding the interim cane price for the month of August 2024, as set out by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) (Sugar Directorate). On 7th August 2024, the Acting Director-General of the Sugar Directorate within the Agriculture and Food Authority issued a circular, Ref: AFA/SD/DIR/TAS/11/ (41), addressed to all sugar millers. That circular followed the expiry of the interim cane pricing committee and in the absence of a Cabinet Secretary to appoint the same, guided the price for cane in the interim at Ksh4,950 per tonne for the month of August. Despite the circular being issued on 7th August 2023, it was vague regarding the effective date of the interim cane price, referencing the entire month of August in an omnibus manner. As a result, this has affected all the sugar cane that was harvested in August, with millers retroactively adjusting transactions for the entire month in line with the circular. The sugarcane price per tonne was initially set at Ksh6,100 in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with sugar stakeholders. Unfortunately, that price has since fallen to Ksh5,200, then to Ksh5,125, and now Ksh4,950 as set by AFA. That drastic reduction has severely impacted farmers, as the interim cane price was established without considering the cost of production and time factor. To put this in context, at the time of planting, farmers incurred costs of Ksh5,500 per tonne for seed cane, Ksh5,500 and Ksh5,300 per bag for DAP and Urea fertilisers respectively, with each acre requiring two bags of each. Moreover, land preparation activities such as ploughing, re-ploughing, harrowing, furrowing and weeding have imposed significant financial burdens on the farmers. Despite the western region relying on sugarcane as the major cash crop, farmers are currently spending more than they earn on sugarcane production due to the low prices. Those low prices have led to devastating consequences, including cane poaching, diminished agricultural development and some farmers uprooting their sugarcane crops to plant alternative crops and consequential increased poverty levels. Hon. Temporary Speaker, it is against this background that I request for a statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock on the following: 1. A comprehensive report on the rationale and basis used by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) to set the interim cane price for August 2024 at Ksh4,950 per tonne, including the criteria used to determine that price; 2. The effective date of the interim cane price and explain why the Circular issued by AFA on 7th August 2024 did not specify a clear start date, leading to confusion and retroactive adjustments by millers; 3. An update on the measures being taken by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development to control the influx of cheap sugar into the country, which has contributed to price fluctuations, thereby undermining the development of the sugar cane farming sector in Kenya; 4. Details on the consultations, if any, that were undertaken with sugarcane farmers and other stakeholders before the interim cane price was set and whether the concerns of farmers regarding the production costs were considered; and, 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."
}