Bumper orange harvests stimulates business activities in Muheza

Orange stakeholders in Muheza district said they expect bumper harvest in the next three months, due to conducive weather, specifically good rains.

Farmers, traders, transporters, fuel stations owners and agents say their pockets will be fat during this season due to high yields, although ongoing rains remain the major challenge for supplying the commodity to the markets.

Speaking with the Guardian, Peter Issaya, the fruit grower at Mkuzi village said ongoing rains have increased yields, fearing that this might lower farm prices for the commodity, which is mostly demanded in both domestic and export markets.

He continued explained that now the early harvesting oranges popular known as ' Mawasha taa', which are sold a farm price of between 40/- and 50/- for one orange.

Ismail Jumaa, the orange business man said this situation has led to an increase of transport costs, good news to transporters, while an increased number of vehicles in Muheza increased fuel business.

He noted that now Toyota canter with capacity of carrying 6 tons now charges transport fee of 700,000/- for hauling oranges to Dar es salaam markets, compared with the previous fares of between 600,000/- to 650,000/-.

For lorry capacity of carrying 10 tons to 17 tons he said the transportation fares also increased by 100,000/- from between 700,000 to 750,000/- during last harvesting season to  between 800,000/- to 850,000/-.

"During harvesting season at least huge percent of lorry have already being advanced booked and hired by business people to hauling their cargoes to various markets in and outside the country," he stated.

For her side, Tigo Pesa agent doing her activities at Majengo Shimoni area in Muheza Township Mwanaisha Ramadhani said that during orange harvesting season, money transactions services, through mobile phone is also increasing tremendously.

"We agents need to have enough capital to meet and satisfy increased financial service needs, because money circulations becoming very high due to orange businesses, as many people are coming to deposit and other are withdrawing," she said.

Orange production makes a substantial contribution of people's livelihood from the district's economy as the district council also increases its revenue collections from levying traders.