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{
    "id": 763224,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/763224/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 150,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Josephat Wachira",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13441,
        "legal_name": "Josphat Kabinga Wachira",
        "slug": "josphat-kabinga-wachira-2"
    },
    "content": "Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to support the Mover of this Motion. It is unfortunate that our brothers who represent areas that would benefit a lot from this Motion found it necessary to be out there in the streets to market themselves through stone-throwing. Exploitation of farmers in this country has been on for a very long time. Exploitation has been happening through various ways. One of them is the structural denial of access to finances or payments that are due to farmers. This exploitation goes beyond sugar-cane farmers. I relate this very well to farmers in my constituency of Mwea, who put in hard work in growing rice and at the end of the day they are exploited through this structural denial of finances. There are some institutions that are supposed to be stabilising prices of various commodities, including sugar. In my case, in Mwea, we have the National Irrigation Board, but its interventions come in very late when farmers have probably been exploited by private sector. I am a strong supporter of the private sector, but I think it is high time the Ministry of Agriculture stepped up its aid to our farmers so that they can also smile. I am familiar with the sugar-cane-growing farmers. Most of them look like they do not farm anything because they do not have anything to take home. Members who represent these areas should also play a greater role like my colleague who has brought this Motion. They need to advocate for their farmers so that they can benefit. As it is, our brothers have found it necessary to play politics in Nairobi as opposed to focusing on their areas by, say, supporting their farmers. As I said, the Ministry of Agriculture needs to step up its support to our farmers. It needs to look at areas that are making our farmers frustrated. It is through this frustration… Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I notice the presence of Hon. Simba Arati. Thank you for coming. We are debating a very important matter that affects not only your people in Kawangware but also back home. If the Ministry of Agriculture could support our farmers by deliberately increasing the establishment of factories for fertiliser in our country, our farmers would have access to cheaper fertiliser as opposed to subsidised fertiliser that is selectively sold to our farmers. In my constituency, fertilisers are deposited in stores which are located in Sagana and by the time they reach, say, my home in Mwea, the fertiliser is Kshs300 more per packet. If the Ministry of Agriculture could innovatively locate one fertiliser factory in Mwea and another in the sugar belt regions, our production of rice and sugar-cane would be much cheaper. This will not only benefit our farmers but also help this country to conserve the foreign currency that we are currently losing through unnecessary importation of commodities that we grow in our country. I have in mind a lot of rice that is imported into this country which is nowhere close to the quality of Mwea rice. We are not focusing on the farmer who gives us the aroma we require in rice. I, therefore, urge the Ministry of Agriculture to come up strongly to help our farmers in the areas of sugar-cane, rice and maize farming so that this country stops mass importation of these commodities. 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."
}