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{
"id": 217219,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/217219/?format=api",
"text_counter": 227,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Mungatana",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 185,
"legal_name": "Danson Buya Mungatana",
"slug": "danson-mungatana"
},
"content": " Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to join Mr. Khaniri in congratulating the Minister for the expansion of the Budget allocation to road maintenance. He intimated to us in his Budget Speech that he has rehabilitated 228 kilometres of roads countrywide. He has further rehabilitated, on periodic road maintenance, 287 kilometres and many others. He had also intimated to us that 116 kilometres of completely new sections have been done. However, what we would want to say as we congratulate the Minister is that we have roads that are very crucial to some districts, like Tana River District. While thanking the Minister for the roads that have been done, critical roads like the Garsen-Hola Road remain undone to date. That is a highly productive area and it needs to be looked at. I would want to dwell on the promotion of agricultural productivity and rural development for eradication of poverty. When the Minister was presenting his Budget, he intimated to this House that he was keeping in context Vision 2030. He said that the Government intends to implement serious structural reforms in key agricultural institutions so that they can complement the ones that are high performing to improve agricultural productivity in the country and the output, in general. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, going by that Vision, he said that pyrethrum farmers who are long suffering, he would allocate to them Kshs664 million to clear the remaining arrears. This will go to the Pyrethrum Board of Kenya (PBK). Then he also talked about allocating Kshs641 million which will go towards the payment of debts owed by the Coffee Board of Kenya (CBK) to farmers. What has happened here is that millions of shillings are being allocated to pyrethrum and coffee farmers. Those crops are not found in some of the areas that we come from. For the Coast Province, in particular, we do not have the climate capacity to grow pyrethrum or coffee. That is to say that almost Kshs1.2 billion is being allocated to farmers from other regions. We are not getting this type of money because of climatic incapacity. The point I am raising is that we have had the coconut tree in the Coast Province from time immemorial. Before Independence, the Europeans used to take coconut farming at the Coast as a very serious activity and we had two laws. There was the Coconut Industry Act, which dealt with the marketing of coconut products and the coconut itself. There was also the Coconut Preservation Act, CAP.332 of the Laws of Kenya, which dealt with the crop husbandry and management of the coconut palm tree. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, after Independence, those Acts were taken out of our statute books. They were replaced with the Agriculture Act. During that time, the coconut tree was given serious support by the colonial Government. However, those powers were transformed and given to the Minister for Agriculture. In order for the Minister for Agriculture to give the coconut special treatment, he must declare and gazette the coconut tree as a special crop. That has not been done! We do not have a coconut board. We have been asking for it for a long time. We have been told many times that it is going to be established but it has not. As a result, other crops, like the pyrethrum and coffee, have boards and research organisations. Because of the special authority that the Minister for Agriculture has, he has established an institutional capacity for these crops. We are seeing farmers from other regions being allocated Kshs664 million and Kshs641 million while the coconut farmers are still not getting anything. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, what am I speaking about? I am speaking about an industry which, according to a recent survey, is worth Kshs3.2 billion at farm level, without any exploitation so far. That is more than cotton and pyrethrum. But it is not given the attention it requires. We have 2036 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 26, 2007 7.4 million trees and before that, there was a belief that there were only 4,000,000 trees. What are we talking about? Those trees, which do not even have proper husbandry and management, are producing about 21 nuts per tree. We are saying that, with a little institutional capacity, that industry can develop and produce, at least, Kshs20 billion worth of inputs in that area. What I am saying, and I am repeating it again is that, we are following it up in other areas. Time has come to set up a coconut It is a matter of agency been done. However, what we would want tobecause it is only then the Minister for Finance--- If coconut is gazetted as a special crop, we will start benefiting with the millions of shillings that other farmers in other parts of the country are benefiting from. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we want to see that happening before this session of Parliament comes to an end. We want to see the Minister for Agriculture, in consultation with the Treasury, create an institutional capacity for some of our areas so that millions of farmers who are dependant on that crop can benefit. That ranges from Lamu, Tana River and goes all the way to the other side in Kwale. We think that if these measures are put in place, the Minister can also look at our side. Otherwise, these budgetary measures that have been put in place must be supported. They will create the correct environment for development and growth. In particular, we congratulate the Minister for the allocation that has been set aside for teachers. We congratulate the Minister for the work that is going on in that area and we wish him well. But he must remember that we also need money for our farmers. We also need money for our farmers! With those few remarks, I beg to support the Budget Speech."
}