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{
"id": 1501321,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501321/?format=api",
"text_counter": 51,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "His Excellency the President",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 168,
"legal_name": "Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta",
"slug": "uhuru-kenyatta"
},
"content": "This intervention will see a projected increase in maize production, for example, to a record 74 million 90-kilogramme bags. We have also concluded long-term agreements with 11 suppliers of assorted fertilisers to make this commodity available all year round. Fertiliser for the long rain season will be stocked in outlets nationwide ensuring our farmers are ready to plant, grow and produce. This forward momentum will not only increase our agricultural output, but also reduce our reliance on costly food imports, securing a more self-reliant and a more prosperous Kenya. This approach, rooted in my administration's policy to support production rather than subsidised consumption, has already made food more accessible and more affordable to many households. Today, Kenya boasts substantial national stocks. About 47 million bags of 90-kilogramme bags of maize are in our stores, 8.8 million bags of beans, 10.4 million bags of wheat, and 2.1 million bags of rice. Slowly but, surely, we are building a food-secure Kenya where families need not worry or worry less about their next meal. In the sugar sector, we have achieved a historic milestone. All 17 sugar factories across Kenya are operational, producing at impressive levels, while four new sugar factories are under construction. In July alone, domestic sugar production reached 84,000 metric tonnes, surpassing the national monthly consumption average of 40,000 metric tonnes. For the first time in recent history, Kenya is producing enough sugar to meet our local demand. This success is attributed to many factors; subsidised fertiliser for sugar cane farmers, an additional 500,000 acres that has been brought under production and improved management of the sugar sector, which has revitalised production and brought the industry back to life. I just signed, as you know, the new sugar laws to provide further policy guidance as we seek to be a sugar-exporting country shortly. In the coffee sector, we are on track to increase exports from 51,000 metric tonnes this year to 150,000 metric tonnes by 2027. The Government has also raised disbursements from the Cherry Advance Fund from Kshs2.7 billion to Kshs6 billion, complemented by an additional disbursement of Kshs1.5 billion by the Commodities Fund. Average prices of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange have risen by 25 per cent. In the last financial year, the country produced and exported 48,000 metric tonnes, earning farmers Kshs25 billion. Additionally, 320,000 bags of fertiliser have been allocated specifically for the coffee sector. We will be working with cooperatives to make sure this fertiliser is distributed at the nearest possible destination to the farmers. These interventions are expected to boost smallholder farmer earnings from Kshs300,000 to Kshs500,000 per acre annually by the year 2027. Hon. Members, the dairy sector remains a vital value chain with a quick turnaround impact on households in the economy. The Government of Kenya has released, and you, Members, approved Kshs3 billion to modernize the New KCC, ensure farmers are paid on time and maintain a high price of Kshs50 per litre. As a result, intake to KCC has increased from 100,000 litres a day to 220,000 litres a day by last month."
}