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{
    "id": 177006,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/177006/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 182,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Lesrima",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister, Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 178,
        "legal_name": "Simon Saimanga Lesirma",
        "slug": "simon-lesirma"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for the opportunity. I want to congratulate the Minister for bringing up this policy. I wish there was some form of matrix at the end indicating implementation framework with the budget. I know the issues are highlighted there but I want it to be like in the ASAL policy that we did, where we were even to reinvent some 3854 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES December 3, 2008 funds at least to indicate that Kshs30 billion would be required for the next ten years to turn the northern part of Kenya round. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other issue is on emerging livestock. I think it is very encouraging but I would like to see policy guidelines on utilisation of the emerging livestock and others. There is plenty of that. I know there are cultural barriers to utilisation of that but I am sure there are economic opportunities there. The Government is always very slow in coming up with guidelines like the ones on aloe vera which is a very profitable enterprise. Now, sandalwood is being stolen in huge quantities because the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife is very slow in setting up guidelines. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other one is the question of value addition. It would be good to see some kind of incentives in the policy and maybe some kind of compulsory requirement that for big slaughter facilities there must be a value addition component so that we can make good leather products like what the Ethiopians are doing. The other issue is the question of livestock research. I do not want to talk about research. I want to say that the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) has done a good job and also other organisations like International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). The universities have also done a lot of good work in terms of research but the problem in this country is that a lot of research is done and then it is just hoarded at universities and research institutions. There is a lot of information that can be used for extension work from these research for new breeds of livestock, poultry and so on. In terms of extension, we need to change focus. Instead of demanding for more staff, we can use the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) to carry out extension services. We can also use farmers to train other farmers, for example, on field days. They can train them for benchmarking on very good practices. I heard Mr. Githae talk about a farmer whose cows produce 70 litres of milk per cow per day. I am also aware that there is another farmer in Machakos turn-off who has been at it for many years. In a very arid area, he also has cattle that produces 70 litres of milk per day. I think farmers can learn from other farmers. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I know the policy paper also talks about honey. There is tremendous potential of honey production in this country. My constituency already has a honey refinery whose standards have been set by International Centre of Insects Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) for export market. However, we have a few cultural problems. As you know, honey collection is seen as an activity of low cadre of the society. Its market in the world is, however, unlimited. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we need also to begin to talk about managing grass. In colonial days, grass management was forcefully done. In the late 1970s, there was the Range Management Department. In the late 1980s, we had institutions of the Ministry of Livestock with equipment and trained people on how to plant and harvest grass. This infrastructure seems to be collapsing now. In fact, in the last serious drought we had, we had the Ministry of Livestock Development---"
}