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{
    "id": 1498868,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1498868/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 462,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dr Andrew Mwihia Karanja",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. On the first question about the sustainable measures the Ministry is putting in place to lower the cost of inputs, first of all, we note that the question indicated the food prices were rising but, from recent figures, we note that the prices of most foodstuff have come down. Inflation has also come down. However, one of the things we are doing to make sure that the cost of production and sustainable measures are put in place is promoting local fertiliser production. We are hoping that by doing so, the cost of fertiliser will further come down. We are also doing blended fertiliser production. We have factories which have come up in Nakuru and Eldoret to start blending fertilisers. Fertilisers which are blended are better because they allow farmers to use specific fertilisers. We have also developed high-yielding seed varieties that are focusing on drought- resistant and pest-resistant crops, which are suitable for different regions in the country. We are promoting climate-smart agricultural practices through the use of climate techniques to mitigate climate-related risks. We have also put in place subsidies on input credit programmes, such as the Smart Input Subsidy Programme using e-vouchers to target smallholder farmers, input credit facilities tailored towards farmers such as the Agricultural Finance Corporation, Commodity Fund, the New Kenya Planters Co-operative Union (NKPCU), among others. We are also promoting cell health and sustainable farming practices. The second question was on stating the programmes and policies the Ministry is using to reduce the importation of food in the country and ensure self-sufficiency. One, the major imports we have been doing in this country is on food items, and it is a concern to us. We are actually importing foodstuff worth about USD$4 billion. That is about Ksh500 billion. The main imports are mainly edible oils, mafuta ya kupikia, wheat and rice. Sugar was also in the list, but it has recently come out of the list. For edible oils, we have distributed 556 metric tonnes of sunflower, which we have distributed to farmers all over the country for 200,000 acres in 2024, in order to produce about an estimated 40,000 metric tonnes of edible oil. This project is aimed at cutting import costs by 50 per cent in five years. Other edible oils that are covered by the project include canola, simsim and palm oil. This is, therefore, an edible oils promotion project, which is aimed at cutting our import of edible oils. Wheat is another major import commodity which we have been importing. We have been working with Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) to promote the production of quality planting materials and varieties."
}