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{
    "id": 703047,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/703047/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 262,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Nairobi but operates as far as Kirinyaga County. Farmers supply fresh produce to companies they have entered into private contract with and normally witnessed by the Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD) or an agricultural field officer of the area. Value Pak Foods Limited contracted farmers in Kirinyaga County who grow French Beans and buy at an agreed price of Kshs50 per kilogramme of beans delivered and accepted by the company. The agreement stated that farmers were to be paid by the 15th day of every month. This went on until the company got into financial problems. Value Pak Foods Limited had its major banking services with the collapsed Imperial Bank Limited which went down with their money hence their inability to honour their debt obligations. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, regarding the measures taken by the Government to ensure French beans farmers in Kirinyaga County are paid their dues and protected from exploitation by brokers; the Government has set up an arbitration office at the HCD to receive and arbitrate on conflicts, misunderstandings, breach of contracts, among others, between and within exporters and between exporters and farmers or producers. In this case, the Kirinyaga French Beans farmers reported the case to the HCD and arbitration by HCD was initiated. The Government through HCD has set up systems for registration and licensing of all exporters citing their year of operation, farmers groups they are working with and valid contracts signed with the same farmers. This is to allow for monitoring and intervention in any case of breach of contract by either the farmers or the exporters. The companies which fail to comply are deregistered and are not allowed to export any produce. In this case, HCD wrote to Value Pak Foods Limited to explain why they have not paid the farmers’ dues. Any situations where the arbitration fails, the farmers are advised to seek legal redress for breach of contract. Based on the inability by Value Pak Foods Limited to honour their debts as a result of the collapse of the Imperial Bank Limited, HCD advised the farmers to seek alternative legal means to recover their money."
}