ABIDJAN (Reuters) – A second consecutive week of above-average rainfall in most of Ivory Coast’s cocoa-growing regions will boost the quality of the April-to-September mid-crop, farmers said on Monday.
The world’s top cocoa producer is in its rainy season, which runs officially from April to mid-November.
Several farmers reported a second consecutive week of good soil moisture. They said more beans would be harvested in August and September this year compared to the last season if rainfall levels continued to be high until late June.
Bean size and quality was also expected to increase from August onwards.
“In two months, harvests will be more abundant and of (higher) quality because there are many medium-sized pods on trees,” said Robert Anda, who farms near the centre-western region of Daloa, where 30.1 millimetres (mm) of rain fell last week, 3.4 mm above the five-year average.
Rain was also above average in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where farmers said a significant volume of beans would leave the bush in June.
In the western region of Soubre, where rain was also above average, farmers said they feared too much humidity would bring disease and pests.
“The soil is very humid. There are risks of illness as rains become more abundant,” said Kouassi Kouame, who farms near Soubre, where 58.5 mm fell last week, 12.8 mm above the average.
Rain was below average in the southern regions of Agboville and Divo, and in the eastern region of Abengourou.
Farmers there were still upbeat about output as they said soil moisture content was high enough to sustain crops. Â
Average temperatures ranged between 26.9 and 30.5 degrees Celsius last week. Â
(Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Editing by Sofia Christensen and Jan Harvey)
