ABIDJAN: Abundant rain and sun last week in most of Ivory Coast's main cocoa growing regions will improve the yield of the October-to-March cocoa main crop, farmers said on Monday.
The 2016/17 marketing season in the world's top cocoa producer is due to officially open on Oct. 1 with the start of main crop harvesting.
In the western region of Soubre, at the heart of the cocoa belt, an analyst reported 79 millimetres of rainfall last week, compared with 41 mm the previous week.
"The clouds are laden right now. We expect more rain this week, which will be good for the cocoa," said N'Dri Kouao, who farms in Niable, near the border of Ghana.
In the eastern region of Abengourou, known for the good quality of its beans, farmers reported at least three heavy rains last week that would help small pods mature.
Farmers reported patchy rainfall in the centre-western region of Daloa, which produces a quarter of the country's output, but were still optimistic. "The state of the plantations is good. We're expecting a good start to the main crop with lots of beans compared to last year," said Raphael Kouadio, who farms near Daloa.
Abundant rain and good growing conditions were reported in the southern regions of Aboisso, Agboville and Divo and in the western regions of Duekoue and Gagnoa. In Soubre, farmer Lazare Ake said some plantations in the area would be ready for harvesting next week.
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