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{
    "id": 248383,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/248383/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 296,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Bett",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 157,
        "legal_name": "Franklin Kipng'etich Bett",
        "slug": "franklin-bett"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, first of all, I want to apologise because the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources has brought its Report today. This was not intentional. There were various reasons that caused the Committee not to report. That includes the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference. The consultations between the Mover and the Ministry took a lot of time. We needed adequate consultations because the Ministry was keen to have the Bill moved in the House in a proper manner acceptable to them and, indeed, also acceptable to Mover. As a result of those reasons, we were unable to conclude our Report on time. I, therefore, would like to apologise on behalf of my Committee. Mr. Speaker, Sir, cotton is a crucial crop in this country. Yet, today, it is at the very pale shadow of its former self. The beauty and glory of that crop disappeared at one time in the past. It went with it the industry that had been established and the farms that were all over the country. The loss was colossal both to the investors in the textile sector and to the farmers who had invested a lot in the cotton sub-sector. I am sure hon. Members do remember well-performing textile industries such as Kisumu Cotton Mills (KICOMI), Raymond Textile Company (RTC) in Eldoret, Nanyuki Textile Mills (NTM) and Nakuru Blankets. All of them collapsed because the crop that used to service them was no longer in produce in this country. That alone has, indeed, taken a lot of foreign exchange from this country. This money is used to import textile materials either as finished products or as raw products to be used in the few existing factories that are still able to manufacture them. That loss has taken a lot of foreign exchange out of our country. It has also taken away a lot of benefits that were accruing to the farmers, factories and the Government by way of taxes."
}