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{
    "id": 831087,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/831087/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 184,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kathiani, WDM-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Robert Mbui",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1750,
        "legal_name": "Robert Mbui",
        "slug": "robert-mbui"
    },
    "content": "On the issue of marketing, it is important. When you put commodities together, it helps the farmers to market. You cannot market your green grams alone. But when you put them together in a warehouse, it becomes easier because you are trading together with others and the idea of economies of scale kicks in. This is excellent. In fact, it will be able to create a perfect situation for farmers, where they grow crops, take them to the warehouses, get their receipts which they can trade with and they can access that product in whatever way that this Bill allows. It is definitely a good thing. I have noted a few issues in the Bill that need to be addressed by this House. First and foremost, it is important to note there are other pieces of legislation coming up on different commodities. Coffee will have its own Act. Tea will have its own Act and many other agricultural commodities. This Bill has put them together. I do believe that when it comes to handling coffee, tea and other commodities, there might be differences here and there. So, it is important for the Bill to address itself to what happens when we are dealing with coffee or tea. It is silent on that. It has just grouped them together and we know that there might be specialised needs for different commodities that we will be trading in. The other issue I have noticed is that of the warehouse receipt system council. It is very important and it has very good work. But I have seen one of the members is supposed to be a person representing farmers in Kenya. I do not know how they will be able to identify that person. Tea farmers will expect to have a member. Coffee farmers like myself will expect to have one. Sugar-cane farmers will expect to have someone there. Livestock farmers from the arid areas will expect someone to represent them. So will even fish farmers, maize farmers and chicken farmers. So, when we say there is going to be a person representing farmers, how are they going to identify that person? We either have several people or we are very specific - maybe a farmers’ association and we specify which one so that it does not end up that the representation is not fair for some farmers in the country. I support the idea that the chair and vice-chair of the council cannot be of the same gender. That makes a lot of sense. I have also noticed the requirement of one-third gender rule in the membership. How again are we going to address this, considering that those people will be sent to the council from different offices?"
}