Rains eased last week in most of Ivory Coast’s main cocoa-growing regions after weeks of downpours that had flooded plantations but more sun is needed for the main crop, farmers said on Monday.
Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, is in its rainy season which runs from April to mid-November. Farmers’ focus now is on growing conditions for the next main crop harvest, which will run from October to March.
London cocoa futures briefly hit a new 46-year high on Monday amid concerns that bad weather in cocoa growing regions in West Africa could impact output this season.
Farmers across the country welcomed the drier spell which they said would help new flowers grow. Lots of sun this month will be key for the development of the main crop, they added.
“The rain has really diminished. If we have lots of sun the main crop will start early in September and will be abundant,” said Salame Kone, who farms near Soubre, where 14.4 millimetres of rain (mm) fell last week, 30.9 mm below the five-year average.
In the southern region of Divo and the eastern region of Abengourou, where rains were below the average, and in the southern region of Agboville, where rains were above the average, farmers said they needed more sun to strengthen the main crop as flowering had already started.
In the centre-western region of Daloa and in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rains were below the average, farmers said a good mix of sun and rain this month would help the mid-crop to finish strong in September and the main crop to start with many pods to harvest from October.
“The trees have had enough water. For the moment everything is fine but we need more sun for the trees to be full of pods,” said Jules Bosson, who farms near Bongouanou, where 19.8 mm of rain fell last week, 6.3 mm below the average.
Average temperatures ranged from 24.2 to 27 degrees Celsius in Ivory Coast last week. (Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Editing by Nellie Peyton and David Evans)
