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{
"id": 1490616,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1490616/?format=api",
"text_counter": 110,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Okiya Omtatah",
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"speaker": null,
"content": "several millers are clustered in an area and, therefore, they can compete amongst themselves and the farmers can contract with either and will still have the freedom to engage. I believe the development of catchment areas is a development in the right direction. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, however, I would like us to develop further, so as to see strong co-operatives emerge in the sugar industry, where farmers can organize themselves into cooperatives, be able to borrow money directly or be funded directly, be able to invest in inputs, and then reap the maximum output from their labour. The other thing is the maturity of cane. There is need to properly educate our farmers because some people think that when they wait for 18 months, it is too long, and yet, the ideal time for the kind of crop that is grown in Western is 20 months. I have seen studies which show that in the last four months, that is, from the 16th month to the 20th month, the crop almost doubles both in size and in terms of the sucrose content. Therefore, both the miller and the farmer benefit. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there is need to have mechanisms that can enable or cushion the farmer from the pressures of having to harvest the cane early. Maybe, there can be a receding system or something like that where a farmer can then deal with their immediate cash issues as the crop matures, and then it is harvested at an opportune time. There is also the issue of the contracts that millers sometimes enter with farmers and these contracts have sometimes resulted in the farmer incurring a lot of losses. The contract seems to protect the miller more than it does the farmer, so that when the cane is damaged in any way, the miller can walk away free. For example, there are some contracts that say when cane is planted and is standing on the land, it belongs to the factory. When the cane is cut, it reverts to the farmer, and between the time when it is cut to the time when it is delivered in the factory, it belongs to the farmer. So, any losses suffered there around are borne by the farmer. That to me is not acceptable. When the cane enters the factory, it reverts to the factory. There is need to look at those kinds of contracts that seem to disadvantage the farmer, so that there can be proper gain on the part of the farmer, and also have the miller benefit. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I also looked at the establishment of the Sugar Tribunal, which is good development. Unfortunately, it is established as a part-time tribunal and I do not know what informed that. This is because, I know there are a lot of issues in the sugar industry that would require a full-time tribunal, not a stand-alone. There is also the issue of the tribunal’s chairperson being appointed by the Chief Justice. They do not qualify whether it will be competitive or not, but the members will be competitively recruited. I hope that in the regulations where the Cabinet Secretary together with the CoG are empowered to make at Section 60, will be utilized to seal those loopholes, so that the recruitment is competitive. I am happy as someone who has been litigating the question of these tribunals, which are subordinate courts, there has been a habit of having them under the Executive, so that the President can appoint the chairperson and the Cabinet Secretary appoints the members. You then find that when you go before this tribunal appointed by the Executive, you just end up fighting the Executive in its own court. 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."
}