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{
    "id": 720318,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/720318/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 153,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Abdinoor",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13135,
        "legal_name": "Abdi Noor Mohammed Ali",
        "slug": "abdi-noor-mohammed-ali"
    },
    "content": "and other sectors leaving out the livestock sector. When you go to Botswana, one of the biggest contributors to the GDP of Botswana is the livestock sector. In our country, we have close to 15 to 17 million animals and Botswana has only 9 million animals in their country yet 40 or 50 per cent of their GDP comes directly from the livestock sector. This shows the attitude governments have been having towards the climate change in this country which has caused the persistent drought, lack of pasture and water and conflict in pastoral areas. This is really affecting the pastoralist community and as leaders, we must come up with a structured policy that can help the system. The other function of the board will be to advise the county governments and the national Government. Currently, we do not have anybody who advises the national Government and the county governments regarding livestock in terms of pricing, early warning systems when there is persistent drought and in terms of zoning this country to identify where to go if you want to produce and export meat or milk and the zones which are disease free in this country. The pastoralists and livestock herders do not know anything to do with zoning in this country. If I want to fatten my animals or produce milk to export, I do not know which part of this country I will go to. I also do not know if there is any data existing in the livestock sector in this country. We do not know how many animals we have and we do not have data in terms of disease prevalence. The common diseases in this country which affect livestock have never been documented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries because of lack of proper structures there. In the last Parliament, there was a Bill called the ALFFA Bill. For some reasons, they removed the livestock. The letter “L” in ALFFA was standing for “Livestock” and we did not know why they removed it. They passed the AFFA Act which only stands for tea, coffee and horticultural products leaving out the livestock sector and not providing an alternative method to cushion the industry. The board will also act as a liaison between the national Government, the county government, the private sector and other agencies in matters relating to development and marketing of livestock and livestock products in order to limit duplication of effort and ensure optimal use of available resources in our country. The board will also provide market access for all producers and stakeholders through interventions aimed at enhancing efficiency and competitiveness. It will also prepare and update national livestock development and marketing plan for the country to coordinate implementations and activities in the plan. It will coordinate national donor funded projects. Currently, there is no coordination in the country. The board will also facilitate the marketing and distribution of livestock and livestock products through monitoring and dissemination of market information, including identification of local supply- demand status, domestic market and oversees market intelligence on livestock. There is high demand for our meat in other parts of the country because our meat is organic. The demand is there and we have the supply. We only miss the link. If we provide the link, I assure this country that the livestock sector will be one of the biggest sectors that contribute to our GDP. The board will also establish linkage with research institutions. Currently, the livestock sector is under the crop research institutions. We do not have an independent institution that researches on livestock in our country. We need to strengthen training in our animals. You have seen the 411 today. There was a lot of bush meat in Burma and other markets in this country. This is because of lack of regulation in the industry. The board will also collaborate with other relevant stakeholders including the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to incorporate other animal species designated as wildlife into mainstream livestock, like the camel. It will encourage 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."
}