US-based Nigerian erects largest yam barn in Abia State

A Nigerian resident in the United States has constructed what is regarded as the largest yam barn in Abia State.
The yam barn occupies a two-plot expanse and contains about 12,000 yam tubers alongside roughly 4,000 yam seedlings. It is situated in Amaibo, Isuikwuato, the hometown of its owner, Mazi Prej Iroegbu, who told News Express that he is “proudly a born-and-raised local farmer” deeply passionate about yam cultivation.

In an exclusive interview, he said: “For over 25 years, I have lived and worked between Nigeria and the United States, building a career in the food and hospitality industry. I am proudly a born-and-raised local farmer, rooted in the land and committed to sharing its story through food.
“I’ve been a farmer since I was a little child. My father was trained at the Nunya Farm Settlement, and when he returned to our village in Amaibo, Isuikwuato, he established our family’s farming tradition. Everything we achieved — our schooling and university education — was funded through the proceeds of farming.
“As I grew older, I decided to continue that heritage. Today, I cultivate cassava and other crops, but my greatest passion remains yams, a crop that symbolizes heritage, sustenance, and pride for our people.
“I have been growing yams for more than six years now.”
Mazi Prej Iroegbu’s yam barn was recently pronounced the largest in Abia State — and possibly the entire South-East — by the Isuikwuato Consultative Forum (ICF), promoters of the Isuikwuato Agriculture Revolution Program (ISAREP), which honoured him with the traditional Igbo title Eze Ji, meaning King of Yam.