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{
    "id": 668695,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/668695/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 284,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Ngetich",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 511,
        "legal_name": "Cecilia Chelangat Ngetich",
        "slug": "cecilia-chelangat-ngetich"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for this opportunity. I support the Motion on the Ratification of the East African Community Protocol on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures. A protocol is a binding agreement between countries in a certain region. This Protocol gives us a lot of protection because whatever trading agreements are therein shall be respected by the parties that sign it. The back bone of Kenya’s economy is in agriculture and livestock. Without such laws, we would not have markets for our produce. Every country is endowed with different agricultural products and unless there is a trading agreement on exchange, we will not grow our economy. This is a good move and as they say, unity is strength. Today, I read an article on the Standard Newspaper about Britain exiting from the European Union (EU). One thing that caught my attention was the fact that the vote was taken, but with very little knowledge by the Britons who were taking that vote. One would imagine that you are already in a very strong trading unit and then you are cutting yourself off. The article stated that it was after they had taken the vote that many people went to the internet to find out the repercussions of that move. Kenya is in the right direction and we need to protect our farmers. Kenyan farmers have always suffered due to poor prices for their produce and that is why measures have been taken to stop the import of certain products that we can grow such as sugarcane. It will also give better negotiation. For example, tea farmers suffer because other people determine the prices of the product as opposed to what can be negotiated in a regional bloc. This Protocol is timely and I support if fully. This will encourage many people to engage in farming. It will also help the Kenyan economy to grow. Right now, the economy is growing at a very slow pace, but I know it shall improve when farmers are supported. Cooperatives are helpful to farmers. When you sell your products singly, you flood the market and prices come down, but when products are sold through cooperatives, better prices can be negotiated. Cooperatives can decide on value addition of certain products to increase income for farmers. 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."
}