ABIDJAN, Oct 5 (Reuters) – Farmers in Ivory Coast raised concerns on Monday that poor rainfall in the West African country’s cocoa-growing regions risked bringing the September-to-February main crop to an early end.
• The world’s largest cocoa producer is in its rainy season, which typically runs from April to mid-November.
• Most farmers said that rains were below average last week and that more rains were needed to ensure an abundant main crop from January.
• If rains are delayed until mid-October, they said it could jeopardize the development of many of the young pods expected to be harvested next year and weigh on the final size of the main crop.
• Industry sources told Reuters the main crop is expected to fall to around 1.25 million metric tons from 1.5 million last season due to an El Nino-linked drought and reduced fertiliser and pesticide use.
• Cocoa deliveries have started to pick up and a large amount of beans is expected to arrive at ports from mid-October, farmers said.
• “From mid-October, we’ll have larger crops,” said Salame Kone, who farms in the western region of Soubre.
• But Kone also said no rain fell in Soubre last week, which is 22 mm below the five-year average, while similarly dry conditions were reported in the southern regions of Agboville and Divo and the eastern region of Abengourou.
• In the west-central region of Daloa and in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro farmers reported patchy rains that were also below average.
• “It often rained heavily in some areas. We’re hoping for enough rain in the coming weeks,” said Albert N’Zue, who farms near Daloa, where 3.4 mm of rain fell last week, 25.7 mm below the five-year average.
• Weekly temperatures across Ivory Coast ranged between 25 and 28.2 degrees Celsius (77 and 83 degrees Fahrenheit).
(Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly;Editing by Anait Miridzhanian and Joe Bavier)
