As millers rush to import 6.6 million bags of cheap maize from Uganda, farmers in Rift Valley are stranded with their harvest after the Ministry of Agriculture scaled down purchases. Farmers now say cross-border trade in cereals is hurting them while favouring millers. They have petitioned the government to restrict importation of cereals, saying millers are taking advantage of East Africa Common market protocol to import maize from Uganda and hoard the produce to cause artificial shortage. According to the farmers, cartels imported huge stocks of maize from Uganda at Sh1,800 per bag before selling the produce to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots at Sh3,200.