Maanzo Daniel Kitonga

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 401 to 410 of 694.

• 29 Jun 2023 in Senate: of meat, treatment of animals and the quality of meat. Many people have been advised by their doctors to be vegetarians. As people age, there are problems with consumption of meat and then vegetarian diet that is fully supplemented with protein, is very important. Therefore, ndengu comes in as one of such plants. Ndengu grows in Makueni county and it survives with very little rainfall. In fact, farmers who grow ndengu are sure they are going to harvest even with two weeks rainfall. The biggest problem which has come up now is just like we had a case in Nandi ... view
• 29 Jun 2023 in Senate: These particular one when sprayed does not respond to herbicides whether organic or synthetic. It is very frustrating to farmers but I believe, with this law, the county governments will be empowered. This is because there is a role of national Government through Agricultural and Food Authority (AFA) and the role of the county governments. More importantly, if farmers are organized in cooperatives, it is easier to grow this plant and market it locally and abroad. view
• 29 Jun 2023 in Senate: The demand for this bean is so much such that whatever is grown quickly ends up being consumed and we begin to import. I believe with such wonderful soils and climatic conditions in this country despite the challenges of climate change which as our people we are making an effort to counter, it is imperatively important that we make sure that this plant gets support. One of the best things Sen. Wambua has done is to give it a legal structure so that the implementation, the growth and the support of farmers and the support by the international community, people ... view
• 29 Jun 2023 in Senate: I have been in the Committee of Agriculture in the National Assembly once and now in the Senate I am in the Committee of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. Our committee did very well to support this law. It has also quickly moved to the floor of the House. Therefore, it is very important for all Senators and governors to encourage the growth of this crop in many other parts of the country like Tharaka. It is crop which is easy to protect from attacks by wild animals and other crops. It is not easily consumed. Again, it takes a very ... view
• 29 Jun 2023 in Senate: The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate. view
• 29 Jun 2023 in Senate: First and foremost, while encouraging this debate, we should make sure that as many farmers as possible in those favorable climatic conditions grow this plant now that we have a law which is going to protect that. Secondly, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) of Agriculture in the counties should have an elaborate plan on how to make sure that there are enough seedlings before the rains fall and that farmers are sensitized sufficiently to be able to plant as soon as the rains fall. If that happens then it becomes very easy to encourage farmers. view
• 29 Jun 2023 in Senate: Coming back to the issue of cooperatives, if farmers are organized in cooperatives, they will easily deal with the herbicides, seedlings, and marketing issues because that is where one of the biggest challenges comes. Control of prices to make sure that farmers are able to maximize their profits. It is also not labour-intensive. It does not require as much labour as other crops do. It is harvested by hand. When you grow this ndengu large scale, you are also creating an employment. Young people will be busy planting when the rains come, busy while harvesting, busy while transporting and busy ... view
• 29 Jun 2023 in Senate: On many occasions, business people come to places like Makueni looking for this product and they are able to get a lot of it at a cheap price. I believe when farmers are organized in cooperatives, it is easier to make sure that they are not exploited and we avoid the middleman. This crop is also widely grown in India - I can see my chairperson for the Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries is in the House - it is one of the places we could also benchmark and see how the systems including the storage and the warehouse ... view
• 29 Jun 2023 in Senate: Also, the herbicides, if we could go more on organic and bio, the world over is very keen on bio products. It is very keen on products which have not been sprayed with herbicides which are natural. We are very blessed in Kenya that we have pyrethrum which manufactures organic herbicides. We could be leading when we are very sure that farmers - that is why we talked about extension officers - have been guided properly. If farmers are guided properly, they would find it easy to access these herbicides which are organic. The European market will really welcome us. ... view
• 29 Jun 2023 in Senate: There is a very big debate now on Genetically Modified (GMO) Products. This is one of the ways to check GMO products coming from the country. We can develop our seed so that it is locally developed, natural and is organic. view