THE government has launched a strategic initiative aimed at attracting potential investors to curb significant post-harvest losses of oranges in Tanga Region.

Speaking yesterday here during the government’s ongoing public campaign to highlight the achievements of the sixth phase administration, Tanga Regional Commissioner Ambassador Dr Batilda Burian said preparations are underway for a high-level forum to attract investors in orange processing and related sectors.

“This forum will initially focus entirely on the orange sector because, as you can see this season, there's a bumper harvest and prices have dropped significantly. The scale of waste is worrying. We have decided to start here so we can attract serious investors to add value to this important crop,” she said.

Currently, she noted, there is only a small-scale factory in the region processing orange peels, but it has struggled due to a lack of capital and investor interest.

“We want to target the whole value chain—orange peels have value, orange juice has value. In Tanga, we say it’s sweetness from start to finish. We're working seriously on this and I believe by the end of this year, we’ll be telling a different story—one with sustainable solutions,” Dr Burian added.

On regional revenue performance, the Commissioner stated that Tanga was tasked with collecting approximately 47.2bn/- in the previous financial year and managed to raise 44.68bn/-, equivalent to 95 percent of the target.

“The remaining five percent shortfalls was largely due to unresolved tax collection issues, particularly from the cement factories within Tanga City. These disputes are currently under mediation. Once resolved, the pending revenue will help us meet our full target,” she said.

She further clarified that around 2bn/- remains tied up due to this situation, noting that while Tanga City was expected to collect 21bn/-, it has only managed around 18bn/- so far.

The shortfall, she added, stemmed from a new local government levy imposed on minerals, which investors argue is not uniformly applied across other regions.

Highlighting broader development gains under President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration, Burian revealed that Tanga Region has received over 3.09trn/- for the implementation of various strategic development projects.