The Agriculture Ministry has placed a moratorium on wheat imports, directing millers to purchase the produce held by farmers before they can be issued an import license.

Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe directed wheat millers to purchase 400,000 unbought bags of wheat from local farmers, stating that the government will only lift the moratorium to cater for the deficit.

The CS's decision follows complaints from wheat farmers in Narok, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, and other counties over millers neglecting to buy their produce or purchasing it at unfairly low prices.

Leaders from wheat-growing regions, led by Narok Governor Patrick Ntutu, have been advocating for better wheat prices, citing a market gap that has caused prices to plummet.