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{
    "id": 775334,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/775334/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 284,
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "outset, it looks very good. The intended purpose to help small-scale farmers find a good place to store their produce looks very good. It will also help us to maintain the quality of the produce. However, I am concerned about certain elements of the Bill. Every Bill that we bring to this House ought to benefit counties in a way. I have looked at the majority of the Bills which are being introduced, and in my view, although they are sponsored by the national Government, they seem to take away things that we ought to be devolving. Warehouse receipt systems all over the world are designed to better the farmers. Last year I had an opportunity to travel to Brazil and was particularly impressed with the kind of warehousing receipt system that they have. They have incorporated cooperatives where farmers of a particular region come together and set up a warehousing system. They have a fantastic receipt system. I have taken time to look at comparative legislations and seen that in Brazil they have a two-pronged approach to warehousing receipting. As a farmer you take your produce and are given a receipt for all your goods. However, they also engage famers in coming together as a cooperative, so that they can market their produce. Madam Temporary Speaker, I would have been very happy if this Bill would have taken the interest of counties into consideration. In my view, creating a central registry which is managed by a council that sits somewhere here in Nairobi County will not take the interest of the farmers in Narok County into heart. I would have loved to see certain things brought and changed in this Bill. I would have loved to see the County Executive Committee (CEC) member for agriculture playing a big role in the proposed council. When I look at the membership of the council, one thing that really bothers me is that there will be one member who will be appointed by the Council of Governors (CoG). The rest of the composition includes the Principal Secretary (PS) in charge of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, PS for Finance and then, the Cabinet Secretary (CS) appoints the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). In my view, for this Bill to be effective and be able to help farmers on the ground, the role of the CEO in a warehousing receipting system is not really that relevant, yet we have CECs in charge of agriculture. I think the drafters of this Bill should really consider changing to make sure that the CECs in charge of agriculture in all the 47 counties play the executive role or appoint people to be their executive members, to observe the day-to- day running of the warehousing. In my view, when we develop these registries, having 47 registries would help a farmer in Narok County much better than having a central system, where the CEO in charge of that registry sits here in Nairobi. If we had the CEC on the ground, it would be easy for him to advise the council on the needs of the local farmers. The only thing I like about the Bill is the legal framework. It is imperative because that will not only give confidence to the farmers, but also to the lenders; that these warehouses are protected. We must also consider various different things. If as a farmer I grow wheat in Narok County and take it to the warehouse and get my receipt, what happens tomorrow in the event of a force majeure ? What happens tomorrow in the event that all the produce is destroyed? I think the drafters of this Bill ought to consider emphasizing on the issue of insuring the commodities. Just making sure that you can 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"
}