Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 447642,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/447642/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 291,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "The same tree is grown in Malaysia, Philippines and also along the West African coastal region. The people at the coast have a lot of cultural attachment to these trees. This is an example of a tree which takes time to mature. It can even take 10 to 20 years to mature and that is why the Motion is seeking for intervention from the Government. About 90 per cent of the coastal communities depend on the palm tree. There is therefore need for the Government to supervise the growth of this tree. The minimum period for the palm tree to mature is 12 to 15 years. This should be a concern of every serious country because this is a tree that cannot be found anywhere else apart from where it grows. It is a tree which grows in sandy areas where not many other crops can grow and so it has already selected its environment. Its natural selection is the coast. It cannot grow in Mt. Kenya or Mt. Everest. Since there are very few other crops which can grow here like the cashew nuts, we should recognize that this is a very important crop along the coast. We have heard from the Mover that since the palm tree takes a longer time to mature, the communities in these regions have no other activities to engage in before this crop matures. This is why we are asking for subsidies the way it happens in many other places even before the cotton matures subsidies are given. In Gezira Cotton Scheme in Sudan, the farmers are given subsidies when the crop is not even mature. But in Kenya, by the time it is determined that there will be a crop failure, people will have died due to overdependence on that crop. We are, therefore, asking the Government to move with speed and save this region, because without it, then there will be no other activity to turn to economically. Even culturally, this is an important tree and there is need to recognize it. It is used to produce traditional brews. It also has very good water. When you go to Mombasa, they give you madafu. We have a hotel called Whispering Palms at the North Coast. The tourists come there to see whether there are whispering palms. In the process, they find themselves being accommodated in the same hotel. So, this is a very important economic activity that is practiced only by the coastal people and the Government should, therefore, give them support. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Kenya should be one of the top coconut producing countries in the world. But due to the little attention that is given to this crop, Kenya is not ranked among the countries that produce palm products. We have countries like Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India, Ghana, Nigeria and Jamaica which produce more palm products than Kenya, yet Kenya has a vast area that can be used to grow palm. Therefore, this Motion calls for a lot of attention to be given to this crop. Better research should be done on this crop along the coast. We should not even wait until the crop matures. Again, we should not plant just one tree and depend on it. We need to have very many trees. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I beg to support the Motion."
}