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"content": "yet in this House, we had the privilege of seeing a report from the same Minister stating who actually delivered maize and who did not. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the pain of the farmer is what is disturbing those of us who come from the maize-growing areas, beginning from the fact that these are farmers who are not able to pay school fees for their children to the point that some of their children have lost admission to universities. I have witnessed some of them in tears because they are owed Kshs3 million by the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), yet they cannot pay Kshs200,000 to a university. It is a very painful situation when you listen to a farmer declaring that they will never plant maize again. It was only on Monday, two days ago, when farmers held another meeting in Uasin Gishu County, where they were still pleading for intervention that they be paid what is due to them. Mr. Speaker, Sir, if what the Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation confessed is true; that the Ministry actually paid traders and not the farmers, what is extremely difficult in paying the farmers, so that the Minister sorts out the people that were paid by the NCPB? This is because it is clear that these facts are there. Therefore, when we are told that there is a clear suspension of payment from the EACC, we question whether there is a deliberate plan to frustrate these farmers from planting maize. As we are all aware, maize is a staple food in this country and we cannot do without it. We have listened to consumers of maize demanding for the price to go down, because this is a crop that they cannot do without. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is extremely painful to observe what these farmers are going through. For the information of this House, planting of maize has dropped by about 50 per cent, because people could not afford to plant. We had very good rains. Therefore, those who planted maize will get a good crop. However, you may ask yourself what countries do with their staple food internationally. What do they do with crops that produce food for their people? One of the Big Four Agenda that we currently have as a Government is food security. How can we be talking about food security if the staple food of the nation is being threatened the way it is being threatened? Therefore, it is important that we go deep and look into this issue. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the reason we felt, with my co-sponsor, that we must bring this Motion to the Senate is the fact that agriculture is devolved. The only areas that are not devolved are agricultural policy and veterinary policy, otherwise agriculture is 100 per cent devolved. We know that the Committee of the National Assembly on Agriculture made an attempt to go round the country; they came back and now everything has gone down. The farmers have not been paid and deliveries have not been done. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are aware that 50 per cent of the deliveries have just been done. We know that these are complicated issues and that is why it is necessary to investigate this issue in depth. We know that there are other issues that come up with the weather and the fact that the Customs Union in the East African Community (EAC) can also disallow movement of maize from Uganda or Tanzania to Kenya. We need to look at that issue also. However, while that is the case, the question that still arises is: When the NCPB put a price of Kshs3,200 per bag, was that for the farmer or for the trader who goes to 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."
}