Small-scale tobacco growers may fail to transplant their crop in time due to fertilizer shortages.

The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board chief executive Dr Andrew Matibiri said delays in transplanting would affect the quality and the output.
“Our biggest worry is on small-scale farmers who are supposed to source inputs on their own," Dr Matibiri said in an interview on Monday. "There are no inputs on the market. At this point farmers need Compound C when transplanting and the delay will affect the yields”.
About 65 000 ha are expected to be put under the crop this season of which 35 per cent would be grown by small growers. The other 65 per cent would be catered for under various corporate contract farming schemes. (pi)