The Traditional Ruler of Adogbalato Community in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, Igwe Chris Oti, has procured over fifty bags of fertilizer and assorted farming  implements to be distributed freely among farmers in the area during this year’s new yam festival scheduled to take place on July 20, 2013, as a way of motivating rural farmers as well as boosting food production in the community.
The Monarch, who disclosed  this during the official announcement of the  programme and date  for this year’s festival , said, it was high time governments at all levels in the country and Enugu state in particular began to accord  agricultural sector the  serious attention it deserves.
He said that since no nation, be it developed or developing including Nigeria can survive without agriculture, hence  the urgent need for policy makers in the country to always initiate human oriented  programmes in the sector that are capable of boosting the nation’s economy, “and stop paying only lip service at all times”.
The Royal father,  had used the  forum to reiterate his earlier call on the Governor Sullivan Chime, led administration and Awgu council area, to as a matter of urgency provide motorable roads to the community so as to enable the people whom he said, are predominantly  farmers  always evacuate their  farm produce to the markets and urban centers.
According to him, if empowered or encouraged, “our community, Dogbalato,  has all it takes and the agricultural capacity to feed the entire coal city state of Enugu and beyond”.
Our correspondent reports that Igwe Oti, had over the years, be at the vanguard of supporting and promoting agricultural programmes in his community and beyond hence, he instituted an annual competition among  farmers in the area, which also involves cash prizes .
The Traditional ruler hinted that this year’s  competition would be spectacular and more colourful,  than that of previous years,
”That is why I decided to increase the fertilizer from 20 bags in 2012, to 50 this year, adding that other items that would be  contested  for during the forthcoming festival  have equally been doubled. This year’s Adogbalato new yam festival will gulp the sum of N5m, and it would feature a lot of new innovations including masquerade competition among neighboring and   host community”.
The monarch further said “New yam celebration is a big cultural event in our community, because it is a time we showcase our cultural heritage as well as entertain ourselves and visitors” stressing that any race or community without culture are like people without identity, reasoning that culture which remains the peoples way of life, must be respected at all times.
The Chairman, planning committee for the event, Chief Andrew Ago, had in his brief  remarks, applauded  the foresight of the Royal father, describing him as a true leader.
He made it clear that this year’s festival would be quite different from that of previous years, as it will commence with a church service.
The essence of combining culture with religion this time around,  according to Chief  Ago, is to correct the age long notion in some quarters that new yam festival was purely a fetish exercise, just as he called on all and sundry from the community especially the youths to join hands with the committee in making the cultural fiesta a huge success.