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{
    "id": 392153,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/392153/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 166,
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    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Creameries, there was mismanagement, it changed names and then it was later revived; and I am glad to say that, at least, it is processing some milk; but its glory days are gone. We also have the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) which, right now, is before the other House; there is an audit of its activities. The people who brought down these institutions are out there; they are still free and they have taken a lot of money from the public because these were public funds. To me, unless we come to terms with these incidences of corruption; until we come to terms with the ‘bad history,’ correct it and manage it – although Sen. G.G. Kariuki is saying that we should look to the future; and I agree with him – but without addressing some of these malpractices, I think the forward movement will be very, very difficult for us and for the future. I am talking about the NCPB – such an important institution; the granary of the nation in the sector of cereals – that people can obtain money from the taxpayer and get away with it without providing services is very unfortunate. I think the starting point is to make sure that the management of the agricultural sector must be above board, and it must be in accordance with the principles which are found in the Constitution. Madam Temporary Speaker, it may surprise you that in Siaya, we used to grow coffee. In fact, at the time of Independence, there were people who were known in that region as better farmers, and they were growing Robusta Coffee. As a small child, it was part of our school activities to go to some of these coffee farms. The soil structure and content in Siaya and Busia is similar to the Robusta Coffee growing areas in Uganda, and the whole thing went under because of lack of marketing and extension services. Even now, you can still find some of those coffee trees which have grown into coffee bushes. Some people are trying to revive those Robusta Coffee plantations, but because of lack of marketing and extension services, they cannot really make a difference. I have pointed out that there are some areas in Siaya County where there is one very good farmer in a place called Sigomre, who was up to five years ago growing Robusta Coffee, but because of lack of extension services and lack of incentives, he stopped growing that coffee. In Siaya, we were also trying to revive the cotton industry and that is why I agree with the speaker who said that we need to examine soil content and silt it. There was a time during the revival of the cotton industry in Siaya that a particular species of cotton was brought to Siaya. This was a good species and it grew very fast. However, the plant would grow but never produce cotton. It would end up being a large tree and at the end of the day, people did not want to hear about cotton. They were made to plant cotton but the trees did not produce any cotton. This shows that extension services and provision of skills are critical. Moving to Sen. Muthama’s Motion which I think is timely; I think we are not asking for subsidies. You subsidise once you produce money to help farmers. However, most subsidies are tax waivers. The Government can decide not to tax fertilizer or farming equipment for the sake of farmers. That, to me, is still not a subsidy. Under the old arrangement, we used to import cars duty free and that was not a subsidy. Someone just decided not to put additional cost to what we were buying. In effect, Sen. Muthama is saying that we do not just want tax waivers but concrete interventions by the Government to make sure that these two crops that have been very important in the growth of the economy are given further subsidies, not just in terms of ensuring that the economy and the sector grows, but for purposes of expanding The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}