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{
    "id": 318323,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/318323/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 475,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Mungatana",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 185,
        "legal_name": "Danson Buya Mungatana",
        "slug": "danson-mungatana"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to start by saying that if the Government will require this amendment to improve this sector, then I fully support The Sugar (Amendment) Bill of 2011. I would like to somewhat quote the hon. Assistant Minister. When he was seconding the Bill, he said that there is a shortage in terms of the production capacity in this country to satisfy local consumption. He gave an example of 2011 where the amount of sugar that was consumed within the country was something like 700,000 metric tonnes against a production of about 400,000 metric tonnes. This is where I want to mainly base my contribution. Why has the Government ignored or failed to see certain areas which have the potential to produce sugar not only for local consumption, but even for export; like the Tana River County? Why has the Government ignored or refused to see those areas and yet, we know that the climate is favourable and the capacity and land exist? Land is very available down in the Tana River County. Could it be because that is just Coast and it can be ignored and marginalized as usual? Why is it that we have just been left out? If you look at the thrust of this Bill and even the arguments which are being placed here, they are not looking forward. They are talking about satisfying the 200,000 farmers or so who are currently in existence as small-scale holder farmers. They are not looking at what those, in the mind of Government, “non-productive” marginalized areas can do. Why is it that the Government, for over 40 years since Independence, has chosen not to utilize these areas? Even the entire Sugar Act itself is not geared towards opening up new areas with potential, where sugar can be produced cheaply using economies of scale. Why is it that every Minister who has been appointed to this Ministry has failed to see this potential and take an active part to encourage investment in the Coast region? If you look at countries like Cuba which have great capacities to produce sugar cane, you will see that most of climatic conditions suit the Coast Province, and in particular the Tana Delta, yet the Government has not made any serious move. The Government is coming here today to tell us that we have a shortage of about 300,000 metric tonnes every year and, therefore, spending so much in terms of foreign currency that could have been otherwise utilized in a more productive manner, just to increase the import bill that the Government has."
}