ACCRA: Cocoa purchases declared to Ghana's industry regulator since the start of the 2016/17 season stood at 657,349 tonnes by Feb. 23, which is a slight drop from last season, Cocobod data seen by Reuters on Monday showed.
The figure, representing purchases for the first 21 weeks of the season, dipped from 660,673 tonnes of beans purchased in the world's second-biggest cocoa producer in the same period last season.
Total purchases for the week ending Feb. 23, however, rose slightly to 6,023 tonnes from 4,548 tonnes in the previous week, the data showed.
Cocobod's new chief executive Joseph Aidoo told Reuters he expected this year's output to be around 800,000 tonnes, lowering the target from the regulator's initial forecast of 850,000-900,000 tonnes.
Ghana produced 780,000 tonnes of beans last year and cocoa farmers say they are expecting a better yield this year due to improved weather conditions.
"The rains have started and it's good for the light crop pods," farmer Lawrence Adu told Reuters by phone from his base in the Eastern region town of Tafo.
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