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{
    "id": 831084,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/831084/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 181,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mwea, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Josphat Kabinga",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13441,
        "legal_name": "Josphat Kabinga Wachira",
        "slug": "josphat-kabinga-wachira-2"
    },
    "content": "asked to pay, they cannot. These are areas that we must be very keen to look into. The issue of comingling the same type produce is a good one but, again, it has to be handled with care. Otherwise, we are going to compromise on the quality of produce that has been delivered by farmers. If these issues are properly taken care of, we will see a clear improvement on farmers’ economic welfare. The situation out there is pathetic. For the record of the House, for example, we are just about to harvest rice. The prices will go as low as KShs35 or Kshs45 per kilogramme, when the actual price is supposed to be about Kshs80 per kilogramme. From the difference, one can tell the kind of exploitation that farmers undergo out there. The same farmers suffer in the hands of people who are supposed to take care of them. I know I have a question on delivery of subsidised fertiliser. I hope that with these warehouses, farmers can walk into NCPB and declare, through their receipts, what they have in the warehouse to be given subsidised fertiliser. As it is now, farmers walk into private shops and they are given fertilisers at very high costs and they end up incurring losses. People out there take advantage of our farmers who probably are not able to calculate their production costs. They have been there over time, with no one taking care of them. I would want to see a situation where NCPB and other agencies like the National Irrigation Board (NIB) work together with the warehousing receipt system through the council to clearly help farmers to enjoy the fruits of their work. This can work if there is goodwill. It is in the subsidiary legislation where the rubber meets the road. I am hopeful that the Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, which has been quite active in this area, will work with the Ministry to come up with proper subsidiary legislation to regulate the warehousing receipts and ensure that they do not come to enrich the already rich, but to take care of the small-scale farmer who has been suffering over the years. With those few remarks, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I fully support this Bill. Thank you."
}