Kuli’s cocoa push

MEMBER for Usino-Bundi Samson Kuli is injecting more money into cocoa to empower his people economically.
Mr Kuli has budgeted more than K2 million to support cocoa farmers’ venture into cocoa business to improve their living standard. Last week, he committed K150,000 to the Gigaso cocoa cooperative society at Kawar village in the Usino district.
He told The National in an interview that he has already spent more than K300,000 in building 32 cocoa fementries in his electorate for major cocoa growers.
Mr Kuli said he wanted everyone to have money because it is their rights. He did not want to encourage people to follow and expect members to give them free handouts.
Mr Kuli said he wanted people to be self-reliant instead of expectint the Government to do everything for them.
He said that his electorate has mineral resources but he wanted to empower the people to look at alternatives insustaining themselves when these resources ran out.
He said that he has applied for K1.5 million from the national agriculture development plan and was still waiting.
He said that once he received the funds, he could support people who have started growing cocoa and those who wanted to grow them because he saw cocoa as the way forward in empowering the people economically. He saw cocoa as the main source of income for his people whose lives have not improved for a long time.
Mr Kuli told the crowd that gathered during the launching of the Gigaso cocoa cooperative society that no one should come to him for personal funds because he would not tolerate such handout.
“Do not come to me asking for money to benefit yourself because I will never give it to you.
“I will support people who work hard and those who can prove to me that they can work on their land,” he said.The launching was witnessed by the cocoa board regional manger Tioti Paparai, cocoa project manger Vincent Sale and members of the provincial and district administration.