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{
"id": 90811,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/90811/?format=api",
"text_counter": 104,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dr. Kosgei",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Agriculture",
"speaker": {
"id": 13,
"legal_name": "Lucas Kipkosgei Chepkitony",
"slug": "lucas-chepkitony"
},
"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, as you are aware, the overall objective of my Ministry is the attainment of food security and increased income through enhanced food production. Achieving the goal of food security requires substantial financial resources to the agricultural sector as was recognized by the African Heads of State and Government who in their Maputo Declaration of 2003, committed themselves to increasing the agricultural sector budget allocation to at least 10 per cent of their national Budget. Kenya like many other African countries, is committed to achieving this target. However, while in numerical terms the budget of my Ministry has increased from Kshs6.2 billion in 2004/2005 to Kshs13.5 billion in 2008/2009 and this year it is at Kshs18.9 billion in terms of per centage of national Budget, this translates to 1.4 per cent in 2004, 1.7 per cent in 2009 and this year, to only 1.8 per cent as a per centage of our Budget. The budget of the whole agricultural sector stands at 3.5 per cent of the national Budget in the current financial year. This is not only below the 10 per cent that we committed to in Maputo but also too little for me to meet the target in my performance contract; that is the food security we so much desire and the expected contribution to our economy. I will need the support of this House to make the case for increased budgetary allocation. As noted in the economic survey released recently, the sector continues to contract or bid at a slower pace from revised growth of negative of 4.3 per cent registered in 2008 to negative 2.7 per cent in 2009. This is as a result of the prolonged drought of 2008/2009, world food crisis, crisis of 2008 and the world economic recession of 2008/2009. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are however, on the recovery process. After a two year consecutive decline in maize production, 2009 registered a marginal increase of 4.2 per cent to 27.1 million bags from 26 million bags recorded in 2008 due to Government intervention in the provision of cheaper inputs, wheat production increased by 49 per cent in 2009 as a result of cheaper fertilizer and seed. Coffee production increased by 35 per cent from 42,000 tonnes of 2007/2008 crop year to 57,000 tonnes in the year 2008/2009 crop year. But despite the area under tea expanding, production fell by 9 per cent from 348,000 tonnes to 314,000 tonnes in 2008. This was due to drought. Mr. Speaker, Sir, sugar-cane production increased by 9.8 per cent from 5.1 million tonnes in 2008 to 5.6 tonnes in 2009. This increment was attributed to prompt payment of farmers’ proceeds and improved factory performance. A decline of 8.7 per cent in the area under sugar cane was observed in 2009 as a result of existence of mature cane in Sony Sugar Zone and contractual misunderstanding in the Mumias Zone. However, the area harvested increased by 20.8 per cent in the same year, mainly due to dry weather which enabled continuous harvesting. The sugarcane yield decreased by 10.6 per cent from 72.9 tonnes per hectare to 65.2 tonnes per hectare in the year 2009 although the potential internationally is well over 100 tonnes per hectare. As it is, the sugar industry is not competitive according to world standards. We have proposed major reforms in the industry. We will involve the private sector and we will need the support of this House. To meet the national requirements, we are in addition, involved in expansion of production of sugar cane in more productive areas such as the coastal region. Horticulture which is our largest foreign exchange earner recorded reduction in the quantity of exports for the first time in five years mainly due to the economic crisis in Europe which caused a major decline in demand and price of exports. Consequently, the quantity of exports of fresh produce decreased by 6.4 per cent between the year 2008/2009, reducing from 193,100 tonnes to 180,800 tonnes. At the same time, the value of our exports reduced by 14.8 per cent in 2009. This was one of the reasons why the agricultural growth did not register more positive growth digits. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Kenya is the third largest producer of flowers in the world but we stand to lose if we do not make production cost competitive according to world standards. This being the largest sub sector in the country with great potential, it is imperative that it is safeguarded from over- exploitation by over-taxation and other forms of discrimination. Therefore, I will need the support of this House to safeguard this sector and keep it internationally competitive. Mr. Speaker, Sir, let me now turn to some of the interventions undertaken by my Ministry during 2009/2010 financial year to bolster agricultural development in the country. One of my Ministry’s key strategic objective is creation of an enabling environment for development in the agricultural sector. My Ministry prepared seven draft policy documents against the four targeted covering horticulture, agribusiness, emerging crops, urban and peri-urban agriculture and root crops, among others. With regard to the Bills, my Ministry has prepared four Bills that I intend to table in this august House soon; that is, the Tea Amendment Bill, the Coffee Amendment Bill, the Seed and Plants Varieties Bill and the Agriculture Rules of 2009. Mr. Speaker, Sir, one of my Ministry’s key functions is the provision of extension services to our farmers. In this regard, through the various programmes being implemented across the country, a total of 3.05 million farmers were reached through extension messages. One of the challenges of carrying out extension work is transport to enable my over 7,000 technical support staff to reach farmers as required. I will need the support of this House to request for more vehicles and motorcycles. In order to support extension services, my Ministry has been implementing a refurbishment and development programme for the agricultural training centres spread across the country. Towards this end, nine agricultural training colleges (ATCs) were refurbished and new facilities added during the year 2009/2010 financial year. These new facilities include construction of additional hostel blocks, office blocks and provision of agro processing units and water systems installation. I intend to expand this programme so that we can have farmers training as part and parcel of the extension programme. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the agricultural sector cannot develop without the contribution of agricultural research. During the year under review, our agricultural research institutions were able to release 14 new crop varieties into the market to help in boosting agricultural production. In promoting Arid and Semi Arid Areas (ASAL), my Ministry was able to develop 50 water harvesting structures for demonstration and onward replication by the farmers. My Ministry also developed 50 drip irrigation kits, agro-forest nurseries and zero tillage technologies. Other ASAL agricultural technologies that were promoted include growing of orphan crops like sorghum, cassava and millet as well as promotion of new crops suitable for ASAL areas such as aloe vera, oil palms, and jatropha, among others. Mr. Speaker, Sir, my Ministry has special food security initiatives which include"
}