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{
    "id": 90880,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/90880/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 173,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dr. Wekesa",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Forestry and Wildlife",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 209,
        "legal_name": "Noah Mahalang'ang'a Wekesa",
        "slug": "noah-wekesa"
    },
    "content": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to second this Motion. I commend the Minister for having steered this Ministry to a level that was not expected. As you know, many people do not realize that this Ministry actually addresses the issue of food production. Most people tend to only believe that wheat, maize and beans is food. However, they never think that milk and meat is also food. Look at the number of Kenyans who eat meat and drink milk. This is an issue of food security. Just like we said under the Ministry of Agriculture, this Ministry must be given enough funding so that they can address the issue of food security. A hungry man is a very dangerous man. We know that the spear and gun are sources of insecurity but I want to stress the fact that a hungry man is a very dangerous person. This Ministry, therefore, must be given enough money to make sure that food production is at the highest level. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to congratulate the Minister for having sourced market for products of livestock farmers. For example, goats that were costing Kshs3, 000 to Kshs4, 000 for many years, currently cost Kshs7, 800. The reason for this is that the Minister and his staff have tried to create an environment where farmers, particularly those in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) have access to markets inside and outside Kenya. I want to urge the Minister to continue in that direction because the final aim for any farmer is to make money. Those who are in beef farming or dairy farming ought to make ends meet. The dairy industry has been hit by various problems; decreasing sizes of farms and various diseases such as the foot and mouth disease which have been dealt with by this Ministry. As I said, they need more money so that they can employ more staff. We should have more extension officers to deal with issues of animal husbandry. I am thinking of dairy farmers. You cannot make money selling milk alone. If you are a dairy farmer - I can assure you I have been a dairy farmer - you also need to sell your heifers. You need to have a market for your steers. You need to have a market for those cows that have passed production stage. That way, you are able to make some money. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the issue of disease free zones has been in discussion for many years; close to 20 years. We started talking about disease free zones when the European Union (EU) put an embargo on our livestock products. It is the only window available to our farmers to export meat and some livestock. Therefore, we need to have enough funds in this Ministry so that the Minister can deal with this issue of disease free zones which will facilitate export and rehabilitation of our rangelands. Many of the residents of ASAL and pastoralists depend on the sale of goats and cattle. The Minister should be empowered with enough funds to open up rangelands so that we can address the issues of fodder."
}