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{
    "id": 1498926,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1498926/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 520,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dr Andrew Mwihia Karanja",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "exploited by brokers who take the big role. We will mobilise them into co-operatives and associations, so that they can market macadamia nuts in an organised manner. The Ministry issued a ban on harvesting of macadamia nuts because we noted that some of the unscrupulous brokers and farmers were harvesting immature nuts. They were trying to sell them in the market and some of them for export. This was making Kenyan macadamia quality to go down. We agreed that we need to impose what we call a ban – a period where you cannot harvest until the nuts are mature. The Government is also in the process of developing mature nuts grading guidelines so that farmers can earn optimum prices from good grades. There is no grading system. They say grade one and two, but we would like to have guidelines on how that can be done. The Ministry has also developed marketing strategies to guide domestic market expansion for macadamia nuts. Through the Agriculture Food Authority – the regulator – the Ministry is creating stakeholder engagement platforms to facilitate buyer-seller negotiations for competitive price discovery of macadamia value chains. We are taking various measures to make sure that farmers get the maximum returns out of the macadamia nuts. On part three of the Question, as I have indicated, the Ministry has already formulated the regulations that are anchored on section 40 of the Crops Act 2013, which addresses marketing in various sub-sections. We have quoted the sub-sections. They are 40(a)(l) and (s). There are already regulations which have been formulated and address various aspects of marketing. For instance, they provide for quality planting material by making sure that we have quality planting materials. Regulation 22 also provides for contract signing between growers and dealers so that we can manage the marketing. Another regulation provides for the harvesting and maturity of macadamia nuts. Another regulation is about the development of a traceability system so that we can trace where the macadamia is coming from. We have a large array of regulations which have been formulated to make sure that we streamline the marketing, pricing and management of the macadamia market industry. Some of them provide for sampling and compliance with standards that support the production of quality macadamia, which will consistently boost prices. In general, I would like to say that we have made most of the efforts to make sure that we have regulations to make sure that, that sector, which is actually coming up very well, has order. That way, we will not be left to the whims of unscrupulous traders and farmers are left vulnerable. That is what I can say. Thank you very much."
}