EALA pledges support to regional farmers

The Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Abdirahin Abdi, has pledged to help the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF) consolidate and notch up its participation in the integration process.In a meeting with the federation’s leaders on Wednesday in Arusha, Abdi promised the Assembly’s support towards the enactment of the relevant law to protect the interests of the farming community.“Farmers are an integral part of our development not only for food security and secure livelihoods, but EAFF can be of much help in delivering the EAC integration dream particularly in areas of co-operation in technology transfer and the participation of ordinary people in the integration journey,” he said. He added that he would want to see both organisations collaborate further to actualise a regional law on co-operatives which the farmers’ federation is mulling.EAFF president, Phillip Kiriro, said the federation would continue in its quest to promote and enhance regional integration for its membership. “Apart from voicing views and demands of the farmers on cross cutting issues, EAFF will also endeavour to promote regional integration of the farmers through trade and good neighbourliness,” he said.Kiriro added that the Federation has a membership of 20 million, and that it intends to keep them informed of the benefits of integration, including the Common Market Protocol that the region is currently implementing.The farmers’ representatives, whose federation has an observer status at the EAC, had earlier met EAC Secretary General, Dr. Richard Sezibera, who informed them that the implementation of the Food Security Action Plan was ongoing.

National

EALA pledges support to regional farmers