By Admin
Cross River State’s agriculture has the potential to be a goldmine due to its abundance of forests and fertile land. People’s attention has been drawn to agriculture by the soil’s fertility. The state grows more than 1.5 million metric tons of yams a year, making it one of Nigeria’s top producers of yams. Cross River is also the country’s second-largest producer of cocoa.
Yams are an important local crop and a staple. Yams are considered the king of all crops by the locals. There is a healthy rivalry to grow and harvest this crop since people hold it in such high regard, almost to the extent of idolatry. As a result, the crop is abundant throughout the state, increasing food security and sufficiency.
Every year in July, August, and September, the residents of the central and northern senatorial districts, as well as those in the southern Akamkpa and Biase LGAs, set aside special days to commemorate what they believe to be heavenly bounties. In Cross River State, the New Yam Festival has great agricultural, spiritual, and cultural significance. It is the most well-liked event among almost all of the state’s yam-producing residents, from Akamkpa to Obudu.
The celebration, which ushers in the new yam harvest, is an occasion to give thanks to the gods and ancestors for a plentiful crop. It is offered to God as a token of gratitude for the king of crops’ harvest.
It honors the people’s rich agricultural traditions and cultural heritage, and it is much more than just a harvest festival. Alongside the breaking of yams and the pouring of libations, the celebration also features politics and reunion.
Various communities in central and northern Cross River commemorate the harvesting of fresh yams in August and September. The date on which the new year is celebrated reflects the ethnic groups’ different cultures. August is when the majority of the festivities are held. Every year on August 18, the Boki people in central Cross River celebrate the arrival of the new yams.
The celebration takes place on the final Saturday of August at Mbube, Ogoja LGA in northern Cross. Many communities in northern Cross River also celebrate the festival during the final week of August. On August 39, the Yala New Yam Festival is held. On the first Saturday in September, other communities in Obudu, Obanliku, and portions of Bekwerra celebrate.
Some southern localities, such as Akamkpa and Biase, also take part in the New Yam celebration, despite the fact that it is most popular in the state’s center and northern regions. Adim and Etono Central in Biase LGA are included in this.
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