Yam Farming Has No Season, Says Rev. Fr. Okoye, Donates 2025 ‘Come See Yam’ Proceeds for Parish Borehole

By Ifeoma Ezenyilimba

Contrary to the belief of many people that yam can only be cultivated and harvested once a year, the initiator of Philoco Method of Yam Farming, Rev Fr Philip Uche Okoye, has said that yam farming has no particular season, instead, one can actually cultivate and harvest new yam all round the year.

Diji Fr Philip Okoye, who is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Ekwulobia (CADEK) and the parish priest of Holy Family Parish, Akpo, Aguata LGA, Anambra State, stated this at his 2025 Come See Yam Celebration held at Holy Family Catholic Church, Akpo, last Sunday, August 17, 2025.

Pointing out that he had with his Philoco Method, cultivated yams in the month of April 2024, and harvested first set of new yams in February 2025, another set in March 2025 and other sets in June and August 2025, all well matured and weighed between 120kg to 168kg, Diji Fr Philip Okoye, said the assumed yam season was what people gave to it. He maintained that yam can be cultivated and harvested in both the rainy and the dry season of the year so as to provide food for the people always.

Announcing that the Come See Yam 2026 is expected to hold in the month of June so as to prove the possibility that mature new yams can be harvested before August, the Philoco initiator, advised the youths not to wait indefinitely for white collar jobs, but, to instead engage in agriculture so as to succeed in life.

While identifying lack of water supply as a major challenge which, he said, negatively affect yam cultivation and other agricultural produce, Fr Okoye announced that all the monies realised from the auction sales of the new yams he harvested for the 2025 Come See Yam Celebration would be used to drill portable borehole water that would serve both the Holy Family Parish and Uzoiyi Community, Akpo.

The priest stated his conviction that the borehole water project when completed, would bring end to the difficulties which, he said, the women and children of the community (even the aged women), encounter in search of water, especially in dry season.

This was even as he added that the borehole would help the parish altar servers and the Holy Childhood Association children in engaging properly in the process of yam farming, which he has trained them for.

Goodness Media reports that giant yam tubers which each of them weighed about 160kg, 148kg, 135kg and 128kg, among others, that were harvested by Diji Fr Philip Okoye from his farms, were auctioned at the event.

The Catholic priest, who had for the past eight years, took up yam farming as hobby to feed the aged and the needy, also at the 2025 New Yam Celebration, gave out giant tubers of yam to the aged of the parish. The beneficiaries were selected from the various zones of the Holy Family Parish, Akpo.

Earlier, when he lead in the concelebrated Holy Mass to mark the event, the Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Ekwulobia (CADEK), His Eminence Peter Cardinal Ebere Okpaleke, said the 2025 New Yam Celebration was in thanksgiving to God for the bountiful harvest He blessed the parish and the town with, and for the great agricultural innovations He has blessed humanity with, through Fr Philip Okoye’s yam farming.

Cardinal Okpaleke was represented by the Vicar General of CADEK, Very Rev Fr Prof Anthony B. C. Chiegboka.

In his homily, Rev Fr Prof Anthony Chiegboka, who based his reflections on the life of Christ, who, he said, was committed to his mission which was to do the will of God the Father, charged everyone to look out for that which they have passion for, and be committed to same.

He explained that just like Jeremiah, who died for the people of Southern Sudan, and Jesus Christ, who passionately lived out the mission of God the Father, Fr Philip Okoye has been committed to his passion of engaging in yam farming for the well-being of the masses.

He called on all to support the priest- farmer in his good works by donating in support of the auction sales to make the proposed borehole project achievable.

In the Holy Childhood Association (HCA) children’s new yam competition that formed part of the celebration, Chikamso Ofemi, defeated the other nine contestants to emerge the winner with tuber of yam that weighed 34.46kg, Emmanuel Agofu won the 2nd position with yam that weighed 30.28kg and Michael Ndubuisi got the 3rd position with yam that weighed 27.88kg. The winners smiled home with lots of cash prizes that were hundreds of thousands.

This was even as each of Fr Philip Okoye’s elder brother, Mr Chukwujekwu Okoye and the CEO of Ugada Integrated Farms Obeledu, Engr Ken Echendu, gave cash prizes of N10,000 to each of the 10 HCA child that participated in the competition.