ABIDJAN: Rains in most of Ivory Coast's cocoa growing regions were well below average last week, and more downpours and sunny spells are needed to boost the top grower's main crop, farmers said on Monday.
Ivory Coast is in the middle of its April to October rainy season. Increased soil moisture was helping trees develop tiny flowers and small pods, which was an encouraging start for the main cocoa crop, the farmers added.
Farmers are expected to start the main crop harvest from September to October, and a good mix of rainfall and sunshine in the coming weeks could increase output and extend the main crop harvest to December. However, Kouassi Kouame, who farms near the western region of Soubre, said that if the cold evenings recorded in the past few weeks persisted, it could hurt the growth of the young pods.
Data collected by Reuters showed rainfall in Soubre totalled around 3.4 millimetres (mm) last week, 21 mm below the five-year average. Farmers in the southern regions of Divo and Agboville said the soil moisture content was helping the development of the main crop but the overcast weather was a concern.
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