By Daniel Obagha
On Sunday 17th August, 2025, people of Anam in Anambra East and West and world over will celebrate their annual new yarn festival called Ọọte Anam amidst poor harvest recorded by yam farmers.
A visit to popular Ose Market in Onitsha, Onitsha North LGA, yam farmers were seen lamenting angrily that scorching sun, late arrival of rain fall and early flood have forced them to harvest their yams prematurely.
Mr Sunday Okechukwu from Mmiata Anam lamented that ” there was scorching sun that lasted for a long time and made rain fall to come very late . So before the yams will adjust to grow, flood came and we were foced to harvest them.
“We thought that the flood would have come by late August but it came in July and started destroying crops of Anam people both yams and cassava forcing us to harvest them prematurely”.
Mrs Maryrose Igboanugo from Umueze Anam cried bitterly that the flood has destroyed her yams
“The dam that government opened has destroyed our yams. We bought yam seedlings for ₦1,000 per one but we are selling each tuber for ₦500 because they are very small. The flood forced us to harvest them prematurely. We are hungry now and in debt. We don’t know how to repair our loans. Even last year was better than this year.”, she cried
Ogbuevi Nneke Okoye from Umuenwelum Anam but farming at Ukpo Umuobalije farm camp was visibly angry. According to her, ” Flood has forced me to harvest all these yams. Right now all my efforts this year is now in vain.”
Chairman of Oseokweodu Yam Dealers Association, Onitsha, Ogbuevi Udoji Ezudu, from Mmiata Anam said that the excess scorching sun and the flood delayed the arrival of new yarn.
“The yams did not come out on time . And these ones you are seeing is not up to the size of a proper tuber of yam”, he said
The yam farmers called on government of Anambra State to come to their rescue, give them loan and stop opening the dams.
” We need loan, we need subsidized price of herbicide and we need relief materials so that hunger will not kill us”, Victoria Obidike said
- Obagha is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State *
