Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 763258,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/763258/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 184,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Gabriel Koshal Tongoyo",
    "speaker_title": "The Member for Narok West",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13447,
        "legal_name": "Gabriel Koshal Tongoyo",
        "slug": "gabriel-koshal-tongoyo"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute in this august House. I am making my maiden speech. First and foremost, I would like to thank the people of Narok West, the home of the 7th Wonder of the World - Maasai Mara - for bringing me into this House. I promise them that I will be up to the task. I equally congratulate you for being nominated to the Speaker’s Panel. I know you are equally up to the task. Contributing to the Motion, sugar-cane or generally agriculture is the backbone of our economy as a country. It has been having a lot of challenges. I support my colleague who has just mentioned that some of those issues need ample time to be addressed; probably even by a select committee because the challenges may not be exhausted in such short motions. We have been having a problem as a country on the issue of sugar-cane and other cash crops. Specifically, on sugar-cane, it has been mentioned that we have been having some problems because of non-payment or even delayed payments. In other cases, we could be having issues of faulty scales. So, farmers have been oppressed. This has demoralised them and majority of them have pulled out of the industry. I suggest that this House should rise to the occasion and create laws that are going to make it almost impossible to have oppressive practices subjected to our farmers. The production of that cash crop should be paid on delivery or, at most, within 14 days. We should pass laws that say that non-payments or delays are going to attract penalties. The sugar industry has been one of the most troubled industries. It has been infiltrated by many sugar barons. That is why you get our farmers, despite toiling day and night, are still so poor as opposed to other countries like Sudan and Malawi that are producing sugar-cane. The farmers that are producing sugar-cane are so rich, but our farmers are so poor because of such oppressive challenges from the millers. I suggest that we pass laws to ensure that our farmers are promptly paid whenever those commodities are supplied. I also want to suggest, if it is possible, to create an opportunity where this issue is going to be discussed in a broader manner. We form a taskforce or subject this Motion to a committee so that many issues are addressed and tackled. In the county I come from, it is a new venture. Our farmers in parts of that county - like Trans Mara County - are venturing into it. It is going to be very unfortunate if they are going to run into losses. It is going to discourage them and, probably, lead them to dropping the practice altogether. With those few remarks, I support the Motion. This House should pass laws and regulations that are going to make our farmers reap their benefits. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker."
}