Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 363205,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/363205/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 155,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Bunyasi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2511,
        "legal_name": "John Sakwa Bunyasi",
        "slug": "john-sakwa-bunyasi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you hon. Speaker, Sir. Sorry, I was looking towards the wrong direction. I rise to contribute to this very important Motion, because food security is, indeed, a high priority issue in this country. Food security has many dimensions and I know two major ones. One of the major ones is access to it and that is why we are tackling it. The other issue is agricultural supply. Let us remember that we are not dealing with one side of the food security equation. That one is the most critical, but very important one. I agree entirely with the Motion, as moved, that the NCPB has its hands full. I would add that they are using archaic instruments of marketing, and they are not in a position to actually deepen and strengthen the marketing chain, given the way it is structured. Apart from their cash flow problems, which are probably short-term, they should be able to move into activities like warehousing and warehousing receipts. They should then link them up with the credit market in order to strengthen the farmers’ cash flow. There are very many things that one can go into at that point. Hon. Speaker, we must remember that if we have a successful fertilizer and subsidy policy, we will have successful marketing agency. Whereas we may be focusing, for example, on what we might do on the fertilizer supply side, if we do succeed, we may need to get back into the chain and ask how the marketing is moving. In that process of strengthening the market, we can re-visit either the NCPB or similar institutions and instruments. Hon. Speaker, Sir, while we are looking at this issue, I would urge the Mover of the Motion--- I know that we have sort of a Kitale phobia here; we have a Kitale kind of approach on maize. I think maize is the most important, but we think beyond maize; truly, the reason we had better security in the earlier years was because we were more diversified, not only production but food basket. So, I really urge that we look at it broadly. Hon. Members I have quoted Malawi. Eighteen months ago, I did a major study of the subsidy system in Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania. Talking about Malawi, it is physically so heavy that when the late President fell out with the donors, what he did was to withhold the funding of the subsidy by the Malawi Government, because they could not support it from their own budget. The subsidy side virtually collapsed. It had had the impact of increasing production. The sustainability question is important."
}