National Policy Ep24: The Mung Bean Bill, 2022: Large-scale Farmers Will Need to Obtain a License for Processing and Trading.
Mung beans are among the legumes consumed in Kenya as reach source of plant proteins whose consumption has gained popularity, especially in urban areas. This is attributed to the convenience offered by urban food outlets which are 70% owned and operated by women. Like other legumes, the market price is double that of cereals like maize.
However, this could be colluded at Farmgate due to the absence of regulations guiding the marketing of the crop. Consequently, farmers continue to stagnate in poor living conditions and hang on hope, that one day they will the crack wall of poverty and crossover to the side where they can fully enjoy the fruits of their hard-earned sweat.
It is advantageous to grow mung bean farmers in climate-risk areas. The value chain is among drought-resistant crops that do well in areas receiving erratic rainfall like Kitui, Machakos, Tharaka and Makueni. This is because the crop thrives in well-drained sandy loam soils. Farmers in these are motivated by the aforementioned factors that make their work contribute to the GDP of the country.
But what is the policy landscape on mung bean farming? Last week, on 15th August 2024, The Mung Beans Bill 2022 reports surfaced in mainstream media with much stress radiated on the licensing regime and the consequences of failing to comply.
The Mung Beans Bill 2022, is seeking to promote the growth and development of the mung bean industry, to attain competitiveness in the market locally and at the international level. This is compared to other value chains like tea, coffee and Irish potatoes that have, set standards that guide farmers on what is likely to sell better in the competitive markets.
This has stirred things up considering the current political temperature has been high in the last two and half months with regards to the tax regime and finance bill. My concern is, what is the net effect of the bill on the future of the smallholder farmers or someone considering joining the venture of mung beans? Will it close gaps to catapult the thriving of farmers and address food security or open more loopholes for dwindling the farming of the value chain?
The Bill, sponsored by Sen. Enoch Kiio Wambua was officially published on 30th December 2022 and was read for the First Time in the Senate on 15th February 2023. It was passed in the Senate and referred to the National Assembly on 21st February 2024, a process which is taking quite lump some of time to meet realization of providing a framework for the regulation and promotion of the mung bean industry in Kenya.
What the bill states
According to the Bill tabled before parliament, it targets to regulate large-scale marketing and production and processing of the value chain. Those involved in extensive trade of the produce or its byproducts will first obtain a license from the county government.
“A person shall not market, process or carry out large-scale trading in mung beans or mung beans products unless the person has obtained a license from the relevant county government. A person who contravenes the provisions of subsection (1) commits an offense and is liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding one million shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both,” it noted.
All farmers involved in the growing of the value chain will need to register at the county levels under the Chief Executive Committee (CEC) office.
"Every grower shall register with the relevant county executive committee member. Each county executive committee member shall maintain a register of all mung bean growers registered in the respective county," part of the Bill read.
𝑃𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
The registration of small and medium-sized mung bean growers is intended to help the government better understand and promote the development of the mung bean industry in Kenya, ensuring that it thrives both locally and internationally. This data is crucial for strategizing how to make Kenya’s mung bean industry competitive on an international level. The registration process is a step towards achieving these goals, not a punitive measure against farmers.
Notably, the Bill does not impose a license requirement for growing mung beans; it only requires registration for small and medium-sized farmers, similar to other regulated crops. The licensing provisions are solely for commercial activities such as processing and large-scale trading.
Roles and gaps
The principal objective of the Bill is to provide for the development, regulation and promotion of the mung bean sector in Kenya. This is going to be implemented at a devolved level from where farmers of mung beans in each county will be getting support in the production and marketing of their produce.
It also encourages the use of mung beans as a food security item by the National and county governments in their various feeding policies and programs. Therefore, it outlines the regulation of the production and sale of mung bean products by county governments and the Agriculture and Food Authority.
This is however limiting most of the action points to the government yet we know that there are farmer-serving organizations that play a key role in the capacity building of the farmers. It needs to state how the farmer-serving organizations can enhance adequate capacity development and support for growers and other stakeholders in the mung bean industry.
A huge chunk of resources will be required at the national and county levels of government to develop appropriate strategies and mechanisms to implement the policy effectively. This means that capacity-building programmes must be carried out to ensure that growers can respond to the needs identified particularly in the market.
The government can leverage on technologies and systems available by organizations serving farmers to successfully get the information reaching to farmers in the simplest language they can understand. This can enhance massive welcome than it being viewed as a punitive policy, which normally happens when policy documents remain in silos of those in authority.
Potential benefits for farmers: feeding programmes
Feeding programmes are a market opportunity for farmers where they can supply their produce. Most of the programmes are dominated by beans leaving other legume food commodities untapped. Establishing clear channels can ensure consumers benefit from mung bean, which will in turn promote diversification and improve nutrition outcomes.
The bill states that the National and county governments shall, where they implement feeding programmes within schools or other institutions or areas falling within their respective mandate, implement a homegrown feeding programme aimed at–
- Maximizing the benefits for growers by linking schools and other relevant institutions to local production;
- Strengthening the capacities of growers and communities; and
- Promoting the efficient production of mung beans in each county in order to ensure adequate supply to the schools, relevant institutions and food insecure areas in the country.
Additionally, the proposed bill outlines the stakeholders in charge will need to ensure the minimum standards on production, quality and safety of mung beans by growers are maintained, safeguard the price stability of mung beans and mung bean products, improve ensure accessibility and ease of transport of mung beans to schools, relevant institutions and areas implementing the feeding programmes.
I applaud the bill for spotlighting nutrition, which is a component that is often overshadowed when it comes to matters value chain policy. It calls for massive nutrition-sensitive agriculture education, which at FSPN Africa we are committed to offering to the communities we serve.
It states that In implementing a feeding programme minimum nutritional standards are should be maintained in the affected schools, institutions and areas, and strategies be put in place to ensure that the growers’ own household food stock is protected.
If the proposed policy is passed, county governments will establish laws establishing requirements for farmers to register as mung bean growers within each county.
First things first, access to affordable agricultural inputs by growers should be increased by allocating adequate resources for the development of the mung bean industry. Collaboration is necessary to facilitate collation, management and dissemination of information on the mung bean industry, without which farmers are likely to be caught by the red line of the policy. Moreover, collaboration can promote access to international mung bean markets where the farmers produce guided by acceptable standards.
For more information, contact info@fspnafrica.org