PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has urged residents in various regions to seize upcoming opportunities from infrastructure improvements, including employment and tenders during construction.

During her four-day tour, the president inaugurated the Shree Rajendra Agro Industries Ltd cotton ginnery in Maswa,  advising the public to plan how they would benefit from the railway through increased production, value addition and access to distant markets, with speedy and affordable SGR facilities.

She urged investors to expand their operations, particularly in the cotton processing industry, underlining the nation's desire for more factories to utilize local cotton for yarn production.

She assured the residents that the government expects to retain cotton prices stability, ensuring a fair market for farmers, ending a tour whose itinerary involved inspecting and launching development projects.

She laid foundation stones and engaged with residents in the region, where she yesterday spoke well of the new factory's capacity to purchase all cotton cultivated in the region.

The 12.4bn/-worth factory can process 350 tonnes of raw cotton daily, creating employment and adding value to the produce.

Commending the factory investors, she reiterated the government's commitment to supporting industrial expansion. "It is our dream to see more factories using our local cotton to produce yarn, and the direction is promising," she told the gathering.

She was upbeat on Maswa District for its significant development efforts, especially its strong cotton production, citing data that in the 2024/25 farming season, Simiyu Region is gearing to produce 278,354 tonnes of raw cotton, with Maswa District harvesting 60,438 tonnes.

Farmers need to increase cultivation as there are readily available markets and processing facilities, she said, pointing at bottlenecks in building a local chalk factory.

The Maswa District Council needs to allocate a larger area for raw material sourcing, recognizing the factory's national importance and its role in supplying other regions, she stated.

The district had also shown a good example for its excellent tax compliance and collection rates. The district was expected to collect 3.6bn/- in the outgoing financial year, and by the end of May, up to 3.4bn/- had been collected, about 96.21 percent of the target, she stated.

Maswa residents need to maintain the spirit of paying taxes and levies as these funds are reinvested into social sectors and infrastructure development, she stated, pointing at ongoing SGR construction from Dar es Salaam to Mwanza,

Maswa District is fortunate to have a cargo loading and unloading station, she said, while Mitesh Jain, CEO of newly inaugurated factory, said that its construction began mid-June last year.

The factory is being fed with cotton being purchased at 1,200/-per kilogram, an increase of 50/- compared to the 1,150/- indicative price.

The president also laid the foundation stone for Mwamapalala vocational secondary school in Itilima District in the region.

This school is one of 103 vocational secondary schools being built nationwide as part of a national initiative to expand access to technical and vocational education, she said.

The government's commitment to overhauling the education system is meant to provide practical, job-ready skills aligned with modern job market demands, she said, stressing that these schools would equip youth to seek employment or start up on their own.

With the new vocational secondary school set to commence classes early next year, the president praised Itilima residents for their development efforts, encouraging parents to ensure their children benefit from the wider educational infrastructure.