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{
    "id": 508204,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/508204/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 311,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Musila",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 94,
        "legal_name": "David Musila",
        "slug": "david-musila"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I stand to second this important Bill. It has taken over 50 years to come to this House. I want to congratulate Sen. (Eng.) Muriuki for coming up with such an important Bill. Potato is a very important food crop. If potato is farmed properly in this country, it has a potential of giving food security to the entire population of Kenya because some areas produce a lot of potatoes. A good example is Holland which has been mentioned here. However, lack of proper regulation and a body that looks after, advises farmers and even provides them with seed has made it impossible for this important crop to develop in this country. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, once upon a time, I was a farmer. I want to confirm what Sen. (Eng.) Muriuki has said. I lost a lot of money because I could not market my potatoes. I kept a mountain of potatoes waiting for buyers, but because potatoes are perishable, I incurred a lot of losses. From that day on, I said I would never farm potatoes because there is no way to regulate, provide market, grade potatoes or even provide proper seeds. You produce potatoes and put back the same potatoes to the soil. How do you expect a good crop? So, I want to appeal to the hon. Members to support this timely Bill. Mr. temporary Speaker, Sir, there is the issue of weight. When I was the Provincial Commissioner (PC) of Central Province, where potato crop is grown in abundance, I tried to plead with farmers not to increase the size of the bag. They used to put potatoes in a bag and then put sticks around it and put another half a bag. Definitely, this was not one bag. It was a bag and a half. The whole idea is to convince the buyer that this is the biggest quantity, therefore, they should buy it. Therefore, the answer here also lies with the farmers. If farmers had formed a co-operative society and insisted on the weight, then nobody would add another bag on top of the ordinary bag. I am sure we 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."
}