Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1526710,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1526710/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 182,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Mutahi Kagwe",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 229,
        "legal_name": "Mutahi Kagwe",
        "slug": "mutahi-kagwe"
    },
    "content": "agonising issues he has to deal with, not just for himself, but also for the county he represents. What as a nation we want and the policy framework on which we are operating under is not just to value-add macadamia. It is to value-add everything that we can. The production of macadamia in this country is about 45,000 metric tonnes. The processing capacity is about 120,000 metric tonnes. What the Senator, this honourable House and I can agree on is this, that if indeed we were to go all kernel and start earning the amount of money that we can see of over Kshs800 per kilogramme, it is important that ability also be seen in the price of macadamia to the farmers. It has been established that that can be the case. If we process it, the price can go up at the farming units or the farm gate. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, let us also not forget that we are dealing with an international market. The people who are importing these nuts, especially the Chinese, are the second largest producers of macadamia in the world. In addition to their macadamia, they buy our macadamia. When we process our macadamia, we export directly to the USA market and create jobs for our youths. It is not just macadamia, I emphasize, every other crop that we are pushing towards the value chain improvement we are ensuring that we are creating jobs, not just in tea and coffee, but in everything else. Even in wheat, we are insisting that we grow our wheat here. We are in the process of establishing the policy that can help us to do so. I concur with the hon. Senator that we engage in the discussions on this matter. I will be happy to engage the hon. Senator to unravel any issues that affect the farmer. I came into this Ministry with a policy of enhancing the farming business, especially putting more money in the farmer's pocket. Therefore, I undertake to engage with the industry to see what we can do, but the policy framework does not change. It remains that we want to process everything in our agricultural production chains here in the country and create jobs for our children. I thank you."
}