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{
    "id": 90902,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/90902/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 195,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dr. Otichilo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 131,
        "legal_name": "Wilber Ottichilo Khasilwa",
        "slug": "wilber-ottichilo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. First, I want to take this opportunity to thank the Ministry for the good job it is doing. For the last two years, we have seen a lot of improvement in the Ministry, and I want to thank the Ministry for that. Having said that, I would like to see the Ministry become proactive. The ASAL areas are huge. If this country has to develop, these are the areas we have to focus on. So, I would like to see the Ministry coming up with new methods of livestock production in these areas. In particular, I want the Ministry to focus on rangeland management. We have to manage rangelands actively. We can no longer continue managing our rangeland resources the way we have done before. We need to come up with programmes on how to harvest forage. When it rains and we have enough forage we must come up with methods on how to store this forage for the dry period. We must come up with methods on how to produce forage in the rangelands. We cannot just continue to wait for rains to come. About climate change, studies have shown that the ASAL areas are the most vulnerable to climate change. Therefore, we must move away from the old paradigm of livestock production to a new paradigm, where we have to go for active livestock production. We must bring in irrigation programmes to be able to grow fodder. So, that is an area that I would like to ask the Ministry to look into. The other area is that of animal health and disease control. This is an area that the Ministry still needs to focus on. We have a lot of animals dying every year due to disease outbreaks, and we want the Ministry to direct more focus to this area. In the high potential areas, most of the dips that were made have all collapsed. We need the Ministry to come up with a marshal plan on how to rehabilitate the dips, so that they become functional. In high potential areas dairy farming has become a difficult issue because of disease control. So, that is an area that we need to focus on. Because of poor management, we have had diseases like Rift Valley Fever coming back after so many years. So, the Ministry needs to focus on Rift Valley Fever which, is a disease that is very detrimental to industry. The other areas which I need to commend the Ministry on is provision of extension services. He has clearly said that he will employ over 500 extension officers. This is very important because the Ministry lacks extension officers. The other area which I would like the Ministry to focus on is not only just livestock. We need to look at bee-keeping. I have not heard the Minister talk about bee- keeping or rabbit husbandry. Rabbits are animals that can be reared very easily by poor families; they can generate a lot of income for the poor families. We need to see rabbit rearing being promoted. We need to see piggery. We have not talked about it. I know that the Minister is a Muslim, but pig farming is a very important industry and we need to promote it. The Minister has also not talked a lot about dairy goats. Dairy goats are also an area where small scale farmers can earn a living from. Finally, I want to say that research and development are extremely important to this Ministry. Therefore, I would like to see the Ministry putting some good money to research and development. I wish to support."
}