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{
    "id": 993727,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/993727/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 33,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Eng.) Hargura",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 827,
        "legal_name": "Godana Hargura",
        "slug": "godana-hargura"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I would like to thank Sen. Khaniri for bringing up this issue of lack of concern or focus by the Government on the agriculture sector or the food security in this country. As a nation, we must be in a position to feed ourselves. We have been endowed with good land, enough space and also citizens who are dedicated to food production. Without clear focus at the policy level, the production will go down as we are experiencing now. We are told that we need to import maize, when we know that in parts of this country, as has been said rightly by Sen. Khaniri, the maize that was produced is already rotting. Madam Temporary Speaker, in as much as the Big Four Agenda of the President has food security and value addition, it does not seem to be translated to implementation. So, there is need to focus on the implementation aspect. As has been said clearly by Sen. Farhiya, we need to focus on other means of food production. Instead of just concentrating on the rain-fed agriculture, we have a lot of land in the arid parts of this country, which constitutes over 70 per cent of this country. We need to focus on dry area food production. We need to invest in rainwater harvesting because we lose a lot of rainwater. We have floods and a lot of wastage of water, then, after the rains are over, we start talking of drought, lack of water, water tankering and all that. It is better if we have a clearly thought-out policy, which is properly implemented through to the end. We can have mega dams in the arid parts of the country, which should be mainly for food production. We will then have irrigation schemes near those mega dams and produce different types of foods. We can be food secure, but we are not investing in that. Once in a while, you will hear somebody talking of investments in mega dams or water harvesting, but you do not see it being followed through. Madam Temporary Speaker, we are in a situation where we have the means, proper climatic conditions and land, but what is lacking is the implementation. As it has been said, let the relevant Committee take it up with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Water and Sanitation. We need to know what programmes we have in implementing this food security programme, so that as a country we can be food secure, instead of always thinking of importing food whenever there is shortage. Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker."
}