When farmers are beginning to go back to farm for this year’s farming season, a particular farmer is harvesting new yams for the 2024 farming season.

 

Reverend Father Philip Okoye, a renowned yam farmer from Igboukwu and the Parish Priest of Holy Family Catholic Church, Akpo, both in Aguata council area, introduced planting of new yams two times a year as he started harvesting his first set of new yams yesterday.

ABS witnessed the harvesting of the first new yam of the year and reports and reports that

 

in previous years, Reverend Father Okoye cultivated yams in large quantities from January and harvests in July and August.

 

But this year, he introduced a new time table, which is planting in November of the previous year and harvesting in April, then plant again in April to harvest in November this year.

At the farm during the harvest with the help of someone, Reverend Father Okoye harvested big tubers of yam as usual.

 

On how he was able to achieve it, he said he used Philoco method where he used fowl droppings as the manure, which must be placed some yards away from where the yams were planted for a better yield.

 

Reverend Father Okoye added that he used an irrigation system to achieve the desired result.

While harping on the need for the government to equip farmers to engage in an all-year- round farming system, the Priest said it will not only ensure food sufficiency, but will promote export, as according to him, there is enough manpower to drive the initiative .

 

Meanwhile, Reverend Father Okoye’s Philoco method of farming has trickled down parts of the community, as he has been training a lot of youths and adults on how best to get better yields.

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