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{
    "id": 706285,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/706285/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 257,
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    "content": "happen to get their returns, it is normally too late or too little and the value then reduces. If a farmer in Makueni knows that when he delivers 50 bags of maize and the receipt that is proposed in this Bill becomes a title to be used as collateral, then we will be talking. That farmer will likely be able to return his investment even if he loses on the price of maize or whatever commodity that is stored but he will generate more income by using that as collateral. Therefore, to that extent, I support this Bill and its purpose. I have always had an issue about councils that we form in every little thing that we do. For every little thing and Bill, we always form a council of 10 or 15 people and that is absolutely unnecessary in my view. That is a matter that will be handled at the county level by county governments. When the Meteorological Department – in the few times that they appear to know what they are saying – predicted that there was going to be drought in Makueni, I had proposed that the county government should purchase maize from farmers and store it. That could have solved the problem only that the councils will consume a lot of public funds because we shall have many officers employed. In my view, all these people are absolutely unnecessary. To that extent, we should desist the idea of creating more councils and more bureaucracy because bureaucracy defeats the purpose for which we are attempting to alleviate a problem associated with poverty and hunger. We will also solve the problem of farmers like those in Makueni who have chosen to stop growing some cash crops because it is not necessary to do so. In any event, it has actually rendered them poor. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the proposal to set up an elaborate structure in Clause 16 is something that I support entirely. Again, since licensing is a function of county governments, I would have proposed that the council should be at county level. If that is the case, there will be no extra expense to the Exchequer. In each of the 47 counties where Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale will be sitting beginning August, 2017, there will be a council consisting of the people sitting in the executive and those who will be seconded by the national Government to the various counties. It is a much better system than having people in the Agriculture House in Nairobi spending public money for no apparent cause. Although the particulars in Clause 25(3) are very elaborate, in view of my submission that one of the problems with people storing their goods is because a poor farmer in this country does not have the mechanism of measuring the dryness or moisture content of agricultural products. I would have thought that one of things that this warehouse receipt mechanism would include would be a mechanism where they can measure moisture content. When you say grade, in most cases, it is not even the size of the seed. For purposes of a poor farmer in Makueni, it would be the moisture content. They plant high grade maize. Therefore, I would be proposing an amendment that upon receipt where they accept, they would issue a certificate of moisture in terms of grade so that the farmer – in fact, in terms of using his licence as a collateral, the higher the quality the grade of the grains that you are storing, the better it is, the better title that you would be having. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Clause 29 on the obligations and rights is fairly straightforward, nothing out of the ordinary. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate"
}