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{
    "id": 763247,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/763247/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 173,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Wanyonyi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2065,
        "legal_name": "Ferdinard Kevin Wanyonyi",
        "slug": "ferdinard-kevin-wanyonyi"
    },
    "content": "whatever has been discussed here because it is good. Sugar-cane farming was introduced in this country when I was in primary school. Farmers were very enthusiastic. They would all rush to plant sugar-cane. I think they are regretting today because of what has been mentioned; a lot of problems in the sugar industry. No wonder they have moved from the sugar producing areas in Western Kenya to the northern parts of the Rift Valley – hoping that they will get prompt payment, but it has been very difficult to pay our farmers. Therefore, Hon. Washiali, with your experience and proximity to the sugar growing area, we should have a committee to handle this matter effectively because sugar-cane farmers have had a lot of problems. Some of them take loans, as explained earlier. They pay for farm inputs like fertilizers as well as for the tractors that plough their farms, and pay for labour; yet they are not paid. I agree that sugar-cane millers should pay up within 14 days of delivery of sugar-cane, failure to which they should be charged interest on outstanding payments. This has been a big problem. Some farmers have had many diseases. People thought that they would be paid but they were not paid, and they just died because they could not manage their hospital bills. We feel this should be done. I tell Members from the region that this must be fast-tracked so as to cure the problems that we are having, especially when it comes to weighing sugar-cane. You find that the distance between the farm and weighing place is almost 30 kilometers. There are so many problems that cannot be solved in one session like this one. We want a committee as suggested by Hon. Washiali to sit down and look at it afresh. We had the Kenya Sugar Board, and the Sugar Levy Fund, which were removed. There are quite a bit of things which should be done to help our farmers and encourage them other than having sugar imported from Brazil and COMESA countries being more cheap than our locally produced sugar. I thank Hon. Julius Melly for bringing this Motion but much more than what we are discussing here, we should have a committee to deal with it. Through the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperatives, we should specifically come up with ways of assisting farmers in the sugar producing areas. I look forward to this initiative having a cure for most of the problems that have been befalling farmers in the sugar producing areas. I support the Motion."
}