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{
    "id": 664295,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/664295/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 84,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Mukwe",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1641,
        "legal_name": "James Lusweti Mukwe",
        "slug": "james-lusweti-mukwe"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Farmers are suffering. When we talk about the sugar industry in our country, it is the farmers who are suffering. For example, sometimes, cane overstays in the farms. Sometimes, it lasts for three years and it is the farmers who are losing and suffering. That demoralises the farmers because they have nothing to survive on and, at the end of it all, they stand to lose. Sometimes, the factory is situated far away from the farm and during transportation, the vehicle breaks down. Sometimes, the cane is stolen and so, the farmers stand to lose. Sometimes, the cane is harvested and lies in the farms for two weeks thus losing some weight. It is the farmers who stand to lose. When it comes to taxation, sometimes, the farmers lose because they end up earning zero or negative Kshs50,000. The other challenge is smuggling of sugar into the country. If we allow such barons in our country, our farmers are going to suffer because their cane is not going to be sold. They will earn nothing and, at the end of the day, they will lose. So, I support the proposal that taxation should be removed from the farmers. By so doing, we want to encourage farmers because they also want to take their children to school and have a good standard of living. Because of that taxation, the farmer stands to lose. Taxation demoralizes farmers from planting sugarcane. Those who smuggle sugar into the country take it to supermarkets. Like in Bungoma, we have Khetia sugar and Uchumi sugar. Where does that sugar come from? The farmers waste a lot on their farms planting sugarcane but, eventually, they earn nothing from it because of the sugar that is smuggled into the country. I want to support Hon. Wamunyinyi because what he has brought to the Floor of the House is going to assist farmers and control smuggling of sugar into our country. That way, farmers in the sugar belt will earn something. A farmer expects to harvest and earn some money from the sugarcane that he has sold. Taxation has really killed the sugar industry. As such, it would be very prudent for farmers to be exempted from VAT. 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."
}