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{
    "id": 302000,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/302000/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 313,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dr. Shaban",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Development",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 139,
        "legal_name": "Naomi Namsi Shaban",
        "slug": "naomi-shaban"
    },
    "content": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support this Sessional Paper concerning the issue of extension services on agriculture. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the extension services cannot really succeed if certain systems have not been put in place. We are an agriculturally-based economy and we need to put in more funding towards agriculture. We know that there was a time when the Ministry of Agriculture was not even able to employ extension officers to work with the farmers at the grassroots level. This Paper has just come at the right time so that we can enhance the services offered by the Ministry of Agriculture. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the extension workers who have not been employed for a while need to be employed so that they can reach out to the farmers, explain, teach and show them practically what they ought to do for them to improve on the yields. Most farmers have been sweating a lot but yielding very little, because they have been using traditional farming methods. We have not been able to embrace the new methods of farming. However, it is not enough to just have extension workers without making sure that the farmers are able to work and maximize on their small shambas and realize the fruits of their sweat. Our Ministry of Agriculture is badly underfunded. If we give a budgetary allocation to the Ministry in terms of about 10 per cent of the Budget in this financial year or whatever financial year, certainly the agricultural methods will be enhanced and certainly the Ministry will be able to employ enough workers. At the same time, even our universities have really reduced the number of vacancies for training agricultural officers. This is not right considering the fact that we are in a country that depends on the agricultural economy."
}