For the first time since 2012, the people of Omor, an agrarian community in Anambra State, are preparing to celebrate the New Yam Festival free from the devastation of seasonal flooding.

“This year, we will celebrate our New Yam Festival without the threat of flood for the first time in 13 years,” said Chris Oranu, the traditional ruler of Omor, during a news conference on Wednesday.

The New Yam Festival, which marks the commencement of the harvest season, is scheduled to take place on August 23.

The Igwe stated that this year’s celebration promises to be a moment of pure joy and relief for the community’s farmers.

The traditional ruler said the festival in previous years had been uneventful due to forced or premature harvesting and on top of flood water.

He thanked God for the 2025 farming season, which he described as peaceful and bountiful.

According to him, yam is the king of crops in Igboland and in Omor and it is highly cultural because it marks the beginning of the harvest season.

“This year’s celebration is going to be different and special because, for the first time in a very long time, we have always had premature harvesting because of flooding. Even though the water is coming, it has not reached the emergency stage,” he said.

The Igwe said it was expected that sons and daughters alongside well-wishers of the Omor community would return home and celebrate what would be the biggest festival in recent history.

He said Omor had the potential to address a good chunk of Anambra State’s food supply needs, adding that farmers faced challenges, including bad roads for easy transportation of produce and lack of incentives.

A member of the cabinet chiefs, Cletus Nwalieji,  who said the harvest in the 2025 farming season was rich, gave a highlight of the programme’s activities.

Mr Nwalieji said it would include ‘Igu Aro,’ which is the marking of the Igbo traditional calendar, and the masquerade ministration when they would be informed of the ancestors’ approval of the new yam festival.

(NAN)