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{
    "id": 526408,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/526408/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 240,
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    "content": "eating seedlings and wild fruits some of which are poisonous and nobody is paying attention to what is happening. While that is happening, when you drive all the way from Nakuru what you find on the roadside is what Sen. (Eng.) Muriuki wants us to protect; the potatoes. Potatoes are packed in tins on the roadside. Some of the sellers are ready to give them for free. When you stop and request to buy two tins for Kshs200, you will have them because they have no choice. The Government has set aside money to purchase maize and citizens in Baringo are dying of hunger, when farmers elsewhere are suffering because of lack of market for their produce. Do we have planning in this country? The Government should build stores with cooling systems so that it can buy those cabbages which are rotting on the roadsides, instead of spending billions of shillings to purchase toxic maize from South Africa. Some people put up double-storey houses, buy cars, build night clubs to spoil the children of the poor and do all sorts of things with stolen funds, when other people are dying. We need an Act of Parliament with regard to what is produced and consumed in this country. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we have liberalized everything in this country. The market is free. When we decide that we should pack potatoes in bags of not more than 50 kilogrammes, who is the buyer? We have put a ceiling of 50 kilogrammes but there is an open market in Ngara. So, if you want to purchase 200 kilogrammes you can send agents to go there and purchase in baskets, because we have a free market. We should encourage exports, but we should not forget that we are competing with the world. I am speaking as a businessman. Thailand is in the market and their cost of production is cheaper than ours. There are many other countries which are competing in that market. To whom are we exporting? We leave those who can consume the produce here to die and try to export it to where we have no market. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is not easy to market your produce out of the country. I am in that trade and despite the fact that I deal with very scarce items, the market is still very competitive. Therefore, it is not just a matter of going out there and saying that you have come with Kenyan potatoes. This Bill asks for funds to be set aside, but only a third of that money will be spent to buy the potatoes. The administrators who are earning salaries are waiting for an opportunity to finish the farmers once and for all. This money should be set aside not only to buy potatoes. I brought a Motion on coffee and tea and said that the Government should not allow Kenyans to suffer in the hands of criminals. There are those who buy coffee cheaply for resale in the world market at a price that they want. My Motion was asking the Government to set aside funds to purchase the Kenya coffee from farmers, store and sell it when the market is good. How can you claim to be leading your people when they are dying because of poverty? You are not protecting them from poverty. It is a shame. We will bring amendments to this Bill when it comes to the Committee of Whole and compel the Jubilee Government and any other Government that will come to set aside funds for not only the purchase of potatoes, but all other produce by farmers in this country. Is it not cheaper to pay maize farmers the Kshs3,200 per bag that they were requesting than to send ten representatives to South Africa to look for maize and bring it here? Will we not be saving Government some money? We will not ensure that the 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."
}