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{
    "id": 774131,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/774131/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 262,
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "What we have seen many at times is that the funds which are meant to go to the establishment of such authorities, half of it, if not more, does not go to what it is supposed to do. The programs stall and take long to take root. I, therefore, hope that there will be tight security so that those responsible in supervising use of Government funds will tighten the belts. They will be held to account. This is a timely Bill, and every country should be able to feed its citizens. Food is critical, it is one of our human rights. Feeding citizens is not only by having food security but also food safety. I like to propose - I will be bringing an amendment – that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health to be a board Member. I want to emphasize even as we hope not to depend to a large extent on rainfed agriculture but irrigation because of climate change. Even as we move to that area, we should guard jealously against going into it quickly thinking that we will make a lot of food if we plant Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs). I know of a few people who are trying to venture into GMOs who say the seed do not go bad whether there is rain or not enough water. That is why I am emphasising to have the Ministry of Public Health involved for food safety. We know we banned Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) with a big reason. Actually, I understand that the American President is not allowed to eat GMO and do not know who supervises this. We know GMO is said to bring cancer of some sort. In some of the tests that have been done in France and other countries, GMO’s were banned but here we are encouraging GMO’s. When we talk of food security, some people are leading our professionals into talking very well about GMO’s saying that it is a political decision. When it was banned, it was not a political decision but a health decision after our scientists had done a lot of research from different research organizations, including universities. Even today, they have said until more research is done, we should not encourage the use of GMO because definitely it is not safe food. So, as we encourage irrigation and growth of more food, we must also stand firm on food security. Madam Deputy Speaker, I see gender is included in the member composition of the Board. We must be firm on that because many at times gender is said to be there but we are not aware of the composition. It should not only involve gender but also professionals because women are the biggest users who are mainly in the food production; they place food on the table. When it comes to water, they are the ones who suffer most for lack of water. Therefore, we must ensure that the people who are involved in this sector are involved in the management of water, irrigation, food safety and food security. Land use should be taken into account. The National Land Commission (NLC) should also be part of this. Why do I say so? This is because we have seen situations where when the government tries to acquire land for development, the prices sky rocket and money that was budgeted for the project is used for acquiring land. As Africans, we know land is a passionate issue in our hearts but we must now start thinking about land for the public good. We should be able to acquire any land after compensation for development and not double the price to a level that is so high or threefold that all the money that was supposed to go into developing the Authority goes to acquiring land. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate"
}