Unseasonably heavy rainfall and hot weather last week across Ivory Coast’s key cocoa-growing regions are expected to boost the size and quality of the October-to-March main crop, farmers said this Monday.
Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, is in its dry season, which runs officially from mid-November to March, when rains are usually scarce.
Farmers said recent rains were the heaviest in three years for this period, helping the development of small and medium-sized pods due for harvest in February and March.
Weather has been favourable since early December, easing concerns about trees’ ability to withstand the dry season and the Harmattan winds.
The Harmattan, a dry wind from the Sahara, sweeps south between December and March, sharply reducing humidity. Prolonged, intense Harmattan winds can kill small pods and lower mature cocoa yields.
“We will have enough cocoa in the coming months. It’s an extraordinary season. We have a heavy rains at this time of year,” said Salame Kone, who farms near the western region of Soubre, where 36.5 mm of rain fell last week, 28.4 mm above the five-year average.
Similar reports came from southern regions Divo and Agboville and eastern Abengourou, where rainfall was above average. Farmers said beans were still being harvested and availability remained high.
In the central-western region of Daloa and central Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rainfall was also above average, farmers expressed optimism that trees were well-prepared to withstand the Harmattan.
“I believe that even though the Harmattan is strong this year, the trees will withstand it well,” said Arthur Konan, who farms near the central region of Yamoussoukro, where 12.9 mm of rain fell last week, 10.1 mm above the five-year average.
The weekly average temperature ranged from 27.1 to 30.2 degrees Celsius (80.8 to 86.4 Fahrenheit).
–Reuters–
