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{
    "id": 784099,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/784099/?format=api",
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    "content": "(b) two persons of the opposite gender, appointed by the county governor to represent such special interests within the county as the governor shall determine. The functions of a county Food Security Committee are in Clause33, and they are:- (a) implement the food security policy and programmes in the county; (b) advise the Authority on technical issues related to the implementation of different programmes on food security within the county; (c) collaborate with the Authority and agencies in the county in ensuring a coordinated approach in facilitating the access of food in the county; (d) serve as an early warning mechanism on impending food insecurity situations within the county and advise on mitigation measures to address the situation; This is because counties and the people residing at the local level know and understand what is going on. It has also been necessary that early warning mechanisms and preparedness is achieved from the county level. (e) ensure that food and nutrition insecurity issues are incorporated in programmes of the county and monitor the performance of the county in the implementation of the policies, programmes and plans on food and nutrition security issues; (f) determine the essential foodstuffs and commodities within the county for the purpose of implementing food distribution programmes and food subsidy programmes. This is also another issue; instead of importing food to come and distribute, we should buy those that are within the county and the country. As I said earlier, by doing that, you have encouraged farmers in the county to do farming. You have done the boreholes and irrigation and farmers have food which they have stored in the county. Alternatively, the county government, under its special programme initiatives has bought food and stored it in the silos. When I was the Chair of the Devolution Committee, we allowed counties to have their own silos where they can store food. That should be the priority area where you buy the food so that you distribute it. That will encourage farmers in the farming season or during the farming to continue doing what they are doing. This will mean that they will be consuming what they have produced; only that they will be consuming it later when they have a disaster or problem. This can only be achieved if there is a committee in the county which wouldvhave surveyed and determined that, that initiative is going somewhere. However, this initiative cannot be left to ‘tenderpreneurs’ or people who are profiteers .It must be a Government run programme. As I said earlier, even the World Trade Organization (WTO) law exempts state parties from the provisions of the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) related to violation of the rules, subsidies and countervailing measures. The Board will have a subsidies and countervailing measures agreement and the GATT Agreement itself recognizes that food security is an important thing; and the security of a state is dependent on its food. If those subsidy programmes are being done to achieve food security, then it is not punishable under the most favoured nation principle of WTO, which is Article 3 of the GATT Agreement. 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."
}