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"id": 737876,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Wandayi",
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"legal_name": "James Opiyo Wandayi",
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"content": "implication, their people. It is no wonder that those countries and nations with weak internal systems that do not protect their industries or their people end up invariably as dumping grounds for goods and services from those countries which have taken the initiative to be protective. Nothing illustrates this better than the agriculture sector. Most of the countries that we deal with globally have taken definite measures or steps to not only protect their agriculture industry or sector, but have actually gone a step further to heavily subsidise agricultural production. That is why you find that in countries like America, farmers are real business people. They venture into the business with the full knowledge that they have got guaranteed returns as a result of government subsidies. That is what is lacking in our context. A while ago, you have seen the spectacle of this country importing maize from countries whose weather conditions are not any better than ours. Why does that happen? It is simply because the maize farmers in this country do not have the incentives to invest in maize production. Farmers, as I always say, are rational human beings; rational in the sense that they will invest their time, energy and money in a venture only if they are assured of returns. I cannot support this Bill without really talking about the matter of the recent saga of maize importation. I, personally sit in the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Co-operatives. I can now say without any fear of contradiction that the lack of intention or motivation on the part of our Government to put in place mechanisms to protect our own production or our local industries is not for nothing. It is purely as a result of the desire of a few people to benefit at the expense of the country. If we had done much or enough to support our farmers in this country, we would not only be producing maize which is enough to feed the nation, but, indeed, even a surplus to export to other countries. But what do we see? We see a country that is perpetually food deficit; a country that is perpetually moving from one crisis to the other; artificial crises, if I may call them so. It is very sad, indeed, that about three or four months after a whole Cabinet Secretary (CS), somebody appointed by the President to be in charge of a very crucial docket of agriculture, came before the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Co-operatives of this House and, in the full glare of the media, confirmed to the nation that this country has got enough maize in the strategic reserve that will last for, at least, eight months. Then, one or two months down the road, here we are importing yellow maize which is meant for animals. In fact, even the process of that importation is extremely controversial. The other day, I heard somebody, I think, called Patrick Mwangi. He must be the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Transport. I was listening to him over the radio. He was saying that the maize which was supposed to have come from Mexico was, indeed, grown there, but it was stored in South Africa. Since when did Mexico start storing its maize in South Africa? For what purpose was it storing it in South Africa? That the maize, since it was in South Africa, could only take five days to be shipped from the Port of Durban to Mombasa. All these things do not add up! The fact of the matter is that we are in the grip of a very powerful cartel; a cartel that can only survive because of the protection it is assured from the very highest level. There is a cartel that is continually hoarding maize and other commodities in the high seas 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."
}