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{
    "id": 610037,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/610037/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 10,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. M’uthari",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1576,
        "legal_name": "Joseph M'eruaki M'uthari",
        "slug": "joseph-meruaki-muthari"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Speaker. I stand to present a Petition on behalf of the people of Kenya. I, the undersigned, on behalf of the citizens of Kenya, in particular the sorghum and millet farmers, draw the attention of the House to the following:- (i) THAT, sorghum farming is an important agricultural and income- generating activity especially in Western, North Rift Valley, Eastern and parts of Central Kenya. The crop is drought-resistant and, therefore, popular in the dry parts of this country. (ii) THAT, the Kenya Arid and Semi-Arid Lands Programme (KASAL), in conjunction with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, introduced Gadam sorghum for commercial production as a measure to improve income generation and food security. (iii) THAT, the Government offered a tax relief for beer made from sorghum. Consequently, the East African Breweries Limited (EABL) ventured into manufacturing of a brand of beer using sorghum as one of the raw materials and further clustered farmers to combine their harvest for bulk sales to the company. (iv) THAT, the Government set the price of the beer at a reasonable price that made the brand affordable to low-income earners and served as an alternative to illicit brews and chang’aa. This led to a rise in the demand for sorghum hence the number of farmers recruited by East Africa Maltings Company, a subsidiary of EABL, increased to over 20,000 farmers. (v) THAT, the Government collects Value Added Tax (VAT) in excess of Kshs1.5 billion from the sale of beer made from sorghum. Further, in September 2013, the Government increased the Excise duty for the beer produced from sorghum as a raw material which led to a decline in sales, The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}