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"id": 182149,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/182149/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Samoei",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Agriculture",
"speaker": {
"id": 204,
"legal_name": "William Samoei Ruto",
"slug": "william-ruto"
},
"content": " Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that Mr. Deputy Speaker do now leave the Chair. The overall goal of the Ministry of Agriculture is to attain national security while at the same time increasing crop production, earnings for farmers and agribusiness. The Ministry contributes to our economic pillar in the Vision 2030 strategy and the Medium-Term Plan Strategy for national reconstruction for 2008-2012, as the main productive sector. Indeed, the vision for the agricultural sector under this strategy is an innovative commercially-oriented and modern farming October 28, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3037 as a business. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, achieving the goals of national food security requires substantial financial resources to the agricultural sector as was recognised by the African Heads of State and Governments who in their Maputo Declaration of 2003 committed themselves to increase the agricultural sector budget allocation to at lease ten per cent of our national budget. Kenya, like many African States, is committed to achieving this target. In this regard, the budget to my Ministry has increased by 4 per cent from Kshs12.5 billion in 2007/2008 to Kshs13.1 billion in 2008/2009. This is absorbed by personnel costs and is not adequate to meet the emerging challenges of increasing food and fuel prices, increasing cost of inputs such as fertilisers and the much needed support the crop development extension services, regulatory services and research programmes of the Ministry require. I may, therefore, come back to this House shortly in the Revised Estimates, to request for additional budgetary allocation to enable me deliver to the expectations of the people of Kenya. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the total budget to the seven agricultural sector Ministries is Kshs29 billion. This translates to about 4.5 per cent of our national budget. We should remember the Heads of States and Governments in Maputo had pledged that they will strive to increase their budgetary allocations to 10 per cent. Only five Governments in the African continent have measured up to the 10 per cent component. Our seven Ministries in the agricultural sector have only 4.5 per cent of the budget. It will be difficult for us, with an economy that is agro-based and with an under-funded agricultural sector, to fight poverty, unemployment or even grow our economy at a rate of 10 per cent as we envisage. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the year 2006, maize production was at 36 million 90 kilogramme bags. In 2007, the production of maize went down to 34 million 90 kilogramme bags. However, we still had enough maize for our national consumption which stands at 32 million bags a year. Because of the post-election challenges this year, we are envisaging that we would have shortage of about three million bags. We have already imported 2 million bags. We might have to request for additional budgetary allocation to import another 1 million 90-kilogram bags of maize to be able to bridge the gap that currently exists between our projected production and our consumption requirements. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, wheat production also went down between 2000 and 2006. In 2006, we had 112 tonnes of wheat produced locally. Last year, we had 106 tonnes of wheat produced locally. It is important for us to realise that we produce only 40 per cent of all our wheat requirements. About 60 per cent of our wheat requirements is imported through the COMESA quota system. I am also pleased to report that we have continued to produce enough beans and pastries for our national requirements. We are a net exporter of all fresh produce such as vegetables, tuber crops and fruits, except for oranges, grapes and apples. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, cash crops also registered increased production, with tea production increasing by approximately 20 per cent to 369,000 tonnes in 2007 from 310,000 tonnes in 2006. Coffee production also went up by about 10 per cent from 48,000 tonnes in 2006 to 53,400 tonnes in 2007. Sugar-cane production also increased by about 9 per cent in 2007 from 475,000 tonnes in 2006 to 520,400 tonnes in 2007. Similarly, pyrethrum extract recorded a remarkable increase of 32.7 per cent in 2007 to 13.4 tonnes from 10.1 tonnes in 2006. Horticulture registered the highest growth ever, with the value of fresh horticultural export increasing by 51.3 per cent from Kshs43 billion in 2006 to Kshs65.2 billion in 2007. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me now turn to some of the activities carried out by my Ministry during the 2007/2008 that contributed to economic growth. I will give only a few examples because as you may be aware, to serve the over 3.5 million farm-households, the 3038 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES October 28, 2008 activities of my Ministry are numerous. As promised in the strategy for revitalising agriculture, 2004-2014, the Ministry's Strategic Plan of 2005 to 2010 and the annual performance contract, my Ministry has completely revised the extension service network. You can now see some of our 6,000 extension staff moving from one farm to another with their uniforms. A total of 2.2 million farmers were reached during the year, using different extension methods like field days, farm demonstrations, farm visits and farmers training. That is an improvement from the previous year when 1.74 million farmers were reached. During the year, the Ministry also began implementing the National Farmers Information Service which is a telephone based information service to farmers. It can be accessed through mobile phones or the internet. Farmers would be able to access information by simply sending an SMS through their mobile phones. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, Agricultural Training Centres, commonly known as ATCs, have been crucial for training and dissemination of new technologies to farmers. Over the last three years, upgrading of existing facilities and construction of new ones has been stepped up, in addition to provision of equipment. In 2007/2008 alone, a total of 54 buildings were renovated, while 13 new hostels and offices were constructed. In addition, agro-processing equipment worth Kshs5 million was purchased and distributed to all ATCs. My Ministry successfully completed the purchase of Waruhiu ATC at a cost of Kshs48 million, and made part payment of Wambugu ATC. The two centres have been under lease to the Government since 1957. Due to the improved status of ATCs, a total of 620 courses were conducted in 2007/2008, with an attendance of approximately 18,600 farmers, staff, youth and other stakeholders, compared to only 451 courses in 2006/2007. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in addition, 341 workshops, seminars and meetings were held and attended by about 11,000 participants. Field demonstrations held in those centres benefited 54,000 farmers, youths and school parties. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, my Ministry, through the Agricultural Mechanisation Service, commonly known us AMS, spread around the country and made deliberate efforts towards promoting food security through support to water harvesting in marginal areas. Services offered include construction of water pans that will be used for supplementary irrigation by farmers and other users. During the financial year, my Ministry provided 44 double-cabin pick ups and 61 tractors and implements at a cost of Kshs460 million to the Agricultural Machinery Service. The machinery is now being used to plough for farmers and construct water pans for farmers at an affordable cost. The AMS also participated in the resettlement programmes of our Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the last financial year, my Ministry was allocated Kshs132 million for the development of cotton. That money was used for the establishment of a new Cotton Development Authority to co-ordinate and promote cotton activities; seed bulking, purchase of planting seeds, pesticides, fertiliser and spray pumps for farmers. It was also used for farmer mobilisation and capacity building, strengthening of extension services and promotion of cotton value addition. As a result, the area under cotton increased from 32,000 hectares to 35,000 hectares in 2007. That resulted in production of some 24,900 metric tonnes of seed cotton which earned farmers Kshs501 million. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, last year, we launched a new programme called the National Accelerated Agricultural Input Access Programme (NAAIAP) at a cost of Kshs245 million. The programme targets resource poor families and farmers with free fertiliser and seeds for, at least, one year. The programme also follows those farmers to ensure that they graduate from Kilimo Plus, which is a very initial step of that programme, to Kilimo Biashara, where they are self-sufficient in food and incomes. The programme operated in 32 districts and assisted 36,000 farmers with a starter kit, which the Kilimo Plus of fertiliser and seed--- Through the programme, farmers have October 28, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3039 increased productivity of maize from four bags per acre to 15 to 30 bags per acre. Thus, beneficiaries are assured of food security and surplus for sale and reinvestment in farming. Among the other partnerships, my Ministry has launched Kilimo-Biashara Partnership with other partners in the sector with the aim of lending approximately Kshs4 billion to promote agricultural activities along the value chain. Since we launched this programme in May, 2007, over 960 farmers have been loaned a total of Kshs780 million at an affordable rate of 10 per cent; also training of agro-dealers to improve service provision to our farmers has received due attention."
}