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{
    "id": 763282,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/763282/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 208,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Mutai",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13310,
        "legal_name": "Japheth Kiplangat Mutai",
        "slug": "japheth-kiplangat-mutai"
    },
    "content": "Recently, we were told about importation of sugar from as far as Brazil, South Africa and other countries. Importation of sugar is going to hurt our farmers. Can we not control the licensing of importation of sugar? Why can we not give preference to sugar that we farm from within? Sometime back, our farmers used to export sugar to Uganda. Indeed, sugar from Kenya was valued dearly by Ugandan consumers. What went wrong? When did the rain start beating us? This matter ought to be seized by the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperatives so that it digs deep into it. Our Chief Whip, who happens to come from Mumias, a sugar belt, has said as much. This is a matter of great magnitude that requires the effort of this House to ensure that we deal with it once and for all. This knee-jerk reactions or stop-gap measures being taken cannot really sort out the problems. Farmers in Kericho County need uniformity. At times, they are charged high tariffs by the neighbouring county of Kisumu and yet, when they bring their goods to Kericho County, they are not charged the same. There is no uniformity in terms of engagement before the farmers reach the millers. The moment they reach the millers, it becomes their death-bed. Farmers have been staying for six months to one year before they get paid. Those are farmers who do not have money. They survive by the teeth or skin. We need to come to the aid of those farmers. When farmers are not paid in one cycle, they are not able to plant sugar-cane in the next season because they have no capital to use during planting. This is killing visionary people who, given a chance, would have lived big and reached great heights. Population is growing in our areas. Majority of the sugar-cane farmers are small-scale farmers. About 80 per cent of the population of Kenya lives on the 20 per cent of its arable land. It is the same 20 per cent of the land we are fighting for to ensure we get high production of sugar. Can we not solve this issue? Recently, the Chief Whip of the Majority Party was assisted by the Government, but that was just a minor problem solved. The major one is facing farmers. We need to take this thing seriously. I request that this matter be seized by the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperatives and deal with it so that it comes up with a lasting solution. 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."
}