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{
    "id": 392089,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/392089/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 102,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "coffee. In the marketing and trade section of tea, we have about seven companies that control about 85 per cent of all the tea output in Kenya. Most important to note is that all these seven companies are controlled by the multinationals that own the plantations. This means that the small-scale farmers in this country are fully dependant on the multinationals. These are the ones that determine value addition as they process the tea. They know how much it costs a small-scale farmer to produce the tea as opposed to how much he should be paid for production. The Kenyan tea is mainly consumed in foreign countries. The foreign countries are Russia, UK, Pakistan, USA and Egypt. The main market for the Kenyan tea is Pakistan. Having laid bare some of those facts, in summary of my support and seconding of this Motion, we have two vibrant sub-sectors of agriculture in this country and that is the tea and coffee industries. For us to support our farmers who have sacrificed and continued to produce tea and coffee for the growth of this country, it is important to urge the Government to have a specific strategy of subsidizing the production costs. As this Motion urges, the Government should, indeed, as a matter of priority form a system of subsidising fertilizer for tea and coffee farmers. The Government should also come up with a strategy to purchase produce of tea and coffee from small-scale farmers when the market is lean. Farmers should be shielded when the world tea and coffee prices are very low. The Government should buy these products during that time just like it buys maize through the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPD) until such a time when the farmers can let go of their goods and get value for their products. I need not say that as we transit from an agricultural- reliant economy to a natural resource based economy, it is important that we do not lose the gains already made in the sector. I stand here to support this Motion and urge fellow Senators to support the Motion so that our farmers are shielded and supported to continue to grow our country and economy."
}