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{
    "id": 664276,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/664276/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 65,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Serut",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 297,
        "legal_name": "John Bomet Serut",
        "slug": "john-serut"
    },
    "content": "cost of production, which is passed on to the farmers. What is the effect of passing on that cost to the farmer? The farmer is discouraged and disgruntled. I know some farmers who have done away with sugarcane growing because it is not profitable. I have talked to a number of people in Bungoma County where I come from, especially sugarcane farmers. Some of them said that the growing of sugarcane has not changed their lives. It is because of taxation. I urge the Government to waive the added tax as a step in the right direction after the passage of this amendment Bill. I know that this Bill will go through. I also want to urge farmers to step up sugarcane growing. The issue of having a deficit of over 200,000 metric tonnes of sugarcane in this country every year will be sealed. It is one of the major issues that have given room for importation by sugar barons, who purport to import to fill the deficit of between 200,000 and 300,000 metric tonnes, but who end up bringing in a lot of cheap sugar. That gives rise to non-competitiveness of our sugar because it is expensive. Mismanagement of the sugar sector is one of the issues that have been mentioned by one of my colleagues. As we urge the Government to ensure that the additional VAT on transportation of sugarcane from the farms to the factory is exempted, let sugarcane farmers appoint the right people to the management, especially when it comes to private mills. That is where there is a big problem. As we discuss this Bill on exemption, it is not the first crop we are bringing to this House. We have other crops that have been given exemption. I hope the excuse is not going to be that we cannot exempt this one because there is this and that. The last one is the issue of relieving the farmers in terms of giving them subsidies. I want to use this opportunity to thank the Government for introducing subsidies to maize growing areas. I think it is high time they also gave subsidies to the sugar industry. Those farmers are Kenyans and they require incentives."
}