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{
    "id": 816739,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/816739/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 262,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kilifi North, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13373,
        "legal_name": "Owen Yaa Baya",
        "slug": "owen-yaa-baya"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, aware that agriculture is the main stay of the Kenyan economy, contributing to food security and employment of rural households; further aware that cashew nuts are mainly grown in the Coast region of Kenya, producing about 10,000 metric tonnes of the nuts valued at Kshs264.9 million; recognising that Kenya has a potential to produce more than 63,000 metric tonnes valued at over Kshs1 billion; noting that the sub-sector has the potential to create many employment opportunities through value addition and fetch the Exchequer millions of shillings through exports; deeply concerned that cashew nuts farming in Kenya has continued to face key challenges among them, low producer prices, which has seen many farmers cut down their trees, appreciating that Kilifi, a region at the coast of Kenya used to be a major producer of cashew nuts in the 1980s but the production has since dwindled, which led to among other things the fraudulent sale of Kilifi Cashew Nuts Factory, loss of livelihood for the farmers and subsequently increased poverty levels; this House urges the Government to put in place measures to revive the Cashew Nut Industry in the Country. Cashew nuts production in Kenya is mainly found in the coast region. Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Tana River and parts of Taita Taveta have for many years been producers of this agricultural produce. Recently, we found that counties like Tharaka Nithi have embraced cashew farming. Many other counties in this country have the potential to grow cashew nuts. The potential to grow cashew nuts in this country is very huge. We can double the metric tonnes of cashew nuts produced within three years from now if the Government does what we will say. We had a factory in Kilifi which was started in 1975. But what happened with the factory is one of the most painful moments in the lives of the people of Kilifi. We lost the factory through fraudulent deals. Today, farmers in Kilifi continue to ask when they will get their factory back. They are also asking when the whole industry will be revived so that there are enough cashew nuts to supply to this factory. The revenue that can be earned in this country from the cashew nuts sub-sector is immense. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, many years ago when some Hon. Members used to pass through Kilifi when the ferry operated from there, they would not pass through Kilifi without buying cashew nuts. The crop was the mainstay of the town. The town developed because the factory was there, cashew nuts production was high and many families were able to The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}