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"id": 629899,
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"content": "country year in, year out. Our country is capable of producing enough cereals because we have good soils, climate and hardworking people. Most of our population; particularly where I come from, depend on cereals for their livelihood and sustainability. However, over the years, we seem not to be giving enough emphasis to this sector. Last year, very little was allocated to agriculture in the financial budget. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when it comes to agriculture, you will realize that he national Government retains a substantial amount of money rather than sending it to the counties. It is a pity that we allocate very little resources to the Ministry of Agricultural. Some of us who sit in the Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries have had an opportunity to visit China and India. These two countries have large populations. They do not have good ecological conditions for them to grow cereals. However, they have been able to feed their people because of the subsidies they give to the agricultural sector. A country like Malaysia allocates about 30 per cent of its agricultural budget to grains. It is targeted towards subsidy, fertilizer and price stabilization. When there is over production of cereals, the farmer does not sell his maize at throwaway prices. The Government guarantees a minimum price so that whether a farmer is in Narok or Trans Nzoia, he can make profit. However, by embracing the Structural Adjustments Programmes (SAPs), the farmer was left at the mercy of the climate and middlemen to the point that farmers hardly make money to repay their Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) loans. As a result, some farmers have lost their parcels of land through auctions because they are unable to sustain themselves. For a long time before the 1980s, the NPCB guaranteed that all grains that were available in the market were purchased by the Government. However, at the moment, the Government is purchasing only Strategic Grain Reserves (SGR). The SGR level is determined by the annual allocation of money for purchasing of grain. The previous year, the Government spent not less that Kshs5 billion to procure maize. This year, it is hardly Kshs3 billion. I thank the immediate former President Kibaki because he was very sensitive to the economy. The price of a bag of maize during President Kibaki’s regime had gone to Kshs3,000. The costs of production, labour and inputs have gone up. The Government through the then National Cereals and Produce Board is now purchasing a bag of maize at Kshs2,300. A reduction of Kshs700 per bag is too much for the farmer. I am afraid most farmers, come next season, may not be able to produce food. If all this money that is being used on various projects, including Galana Irrigation Project, was put to agriculture and procurement of grain, we would not be having shortages. The wheat farmer in Narok County is crying and nobody is listening. The price of wheat per bag in Narok is currently less than Kshs3,000 yet we allow imported wheat which is subsidized to come to this country, sometimes, duty free. Are we really looking after our farmers? This Bill has come at the right time. It is taking some control from the centre to the counties. However, even with this Bill, if the counties are not supported, it will not assist. The Bill seeks to form committees in the counties. At the Committee of the Whole, we should give the county assemblies some leeway to make certain regulations and laws The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes"
}