Fuel shortage being experienced in the country is affecting preparations for the forthcoming tobacco- planting season, the Zimbabwe Association of Tobacco Growers said Wednesday.

President of the Association Julius Ngorima said that most farmers were failing to access the commodity for use in tilling the land.

He said though preparations for the coming season are underway throughout the country, fuel shortages were hampering land preparations.

The country is experiencing fuel shortages, as a result of lack of foreign currency, but both the government and the central bank were working frantically to resolve the problem.

Last year, the government provided 15 million liters of diesel to farmers at a subsidized price through a program that was coordinated by the Agricultural Research and Extension Services and the Ministries of Agriculture, Energy and Power Development.

Ngorima said farmers were expected to start transplanting their irrigated crop from September 1, and the main dry land crop as from October, but expressed fears progress would be hampered by unavailability of fuel.

However, Agribank has assured tobacco farmers who benefited from its loan facility and that of the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board of adequate fuel supplies this season.

"Fuel will be available to all qualifying targeted farmers through the Agriculture Research and Extension Services facility," the bank said recently in a statement.

The country produced 69.8 million kg of the golden leaf worth 140.2 million US dollars during the 2003/2004 season.

Tobacco accounts for more than 30 percent of the country's total foreign currency earnings.

Source: Xinhua