Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1569765,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569765/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 233,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Embakasi South, WDM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Julius Mawathe",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Agriculture and Livestock Extension Services Bill (Senate Bill No.12 of 2022). The Bill is long overdue, having been received last year. Now that it is here, we must make sure that we pass it. I stand to support it. A few years ago, the country used to have extension officers who supported farmers to produce quality products. Kenya was one of the top countries in production of coffee. Coffee and tea used to be among the top earners of foreign exchange for the country. Nowadays, agriculture has dwindled, contributing to 22 per cent of our GDP. It is not well supported through provision of enough knowledge and skills to farmers. There is need to equip farmers with information, technology and enough equipment so that they produce the best. There is need to mechanise and improve technology to the point of even using such items as drones. Technology has improved so much. In other countries, people are using drones to spray pesticides. There is need to equip farmers with enough information. The extension officers will do the same. A majority of the types of cows we are rearing in the country are the small, short Zebu species, yet we have better breeds that farmers can acquire at almost the same price. I have in mind breeds like Sahiwal, Brahman and Boran. A fully grown bull of the Zebu breed will earn a farmer between Ksh35, 000 and Ksh40, 000. A fully grown Boran cow will earn you between Ksh160, 000 and Ksh170, 000 but due to lack of information, connectivity and failure to devolve the knowledge that is available, our farmers still rear their small cows. There is no place in the country where we cannot grow anything we want. There is no place in the country where we cannot keep livestock. There are desert countries like Dubai and Qatar, which are excellently producing in greenhouses. All the food from Qatar Airlines is grown in a farm in Qatar, which is a desert. You can rear camels in Garissa, Moyale and Mandera. They just need a little bit of support. Nowadays there are excellent types of feeds like juncao napier grass. It can grow up to six metres tall and regrows quickly after being cut. One acre of this grass can feed 20 cows. I fully support the idea of extension officers. Agrovets in rural areas do not have the knowledge. If your cow or livestock is unwell, they cannot give proper prescription for your cow. However, with extension officers in place, farmers will be able to receive advice. I highly recommend that we ensure there is an extension officer in every ward. With 1,450 wards, that would mean 1,450 extension officers. We are still importing eggs from our neighbouring countries. We also import beans, maize and onions from our other neighbour in the south. With enough knowledge, we have the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}