Against popular beliefs that oil and gas related activities may have populated much of the land and water surfaces of Bayelsa State and made it unfavourable for agricultural activities to thrive, a veteran yam farmer from Anambra State resident in Yenagoa, Chief Basil Okey have come out to debunk that assertion.Chief Okey who is a member of All Farmers Association of Nigeria – AFAN Bayelsa Chapter, and is Treasurer of the non – indigene segment of the association, stated this during a chat with our correspondent at the sidelines of activities marking World Food Day 2026 celebration/exhibition held at Chief DSP Alamieyeisegha Banquet Hall, Yenagoa.
In tune with the theme of this year’s celebration “Innovate Today, Flourish Tomorrow”, the veteran farmer who specializes in the cultivation of yams said that Bayelsa lands remain one of the most fertile for cultivation of yams among other agricultural products.He declared that he has several yam farms spread across a number of communities in Ogbia and Yenagoa local government areas of the state and not once had he used fertilizer to aid the cultivation of his produce.”Bayelsa land is very fertile.You don’t need fertilizer to aid the growth of your products ‘ he stressed.
Concerning his presence at the event, Chief Okey,stated that he attended simply to come and showcase his talent as a. confirmed farmer and not the type known as portfolio farmer.He attributed his successes in yam cultivation to his long years of farming way back as a young man in his community up till his present location in Bayelsa State
Notwithstanding the successes he has gathered in Bayelsa, he admitted that he faces challenges in the form of occasional uprooting of his yams and duplicated claims of ownership by some family members on the lands that he is cultivating.
These challenges have however not prevented him from cultivating and selling yams produced in Bayelsa as part of his contribution to the economic development of Bayelsa State.
