Rain and sunshine strengthen Ivory Coast’s cocoa mid-crop

Abidjan — A mix of abundant rain and sunny spells in most of Ivory Coast’s cocoa-growing regions last week has boosted the April-to-September mid-crop, farmers said on Monday.                

The world’s top cocoa producer is in the midst of its rainy season, with frequent heavy downpours from April to mid-November. Several farmers said the past week’s weather will help small pods mature by August and September and boost bean quality.

Harvests are picking up and more beans are being sold to co-operatives, they added.

“The weather is very good and the trees are doing well. We are set to have a lot of cocoa this year,” said Emile Boua, who farms near the eastern region of Abengourou, where 49mm fell last week, 23.5mm above the five-year average.

Rain was also above-average in the southern regions of Agboville and Divo, but below average in the western region of Soubre, although farmers there said harvesting and crop development were still on track.

In the centre-western region of Daloa and in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, farmers said the weather would bolster the development of pods set to be harvested from July.

“Rains will help pods grow bigger in coming weeks,” said Albert N’Zue, who farms near Daloa, where 48.1mm of rain fell last week, 26.2mm above average.

Average weekly temperatures ranged between 27.4°C and 30.6°C.

Reuters