DE4CC0DE-5FC3-4494-BCBF-4D50B00366B5

Ivory Coast Rain Sufficient For Developing Cocoa Pods, Farmers Said

By Dayeeta Das
Share this article
Ivory Coast Rain Sufficient For Developing Cocoa Pods, Farmers Said

Rainfall last week in most of Ivory Coast’s cocoa-growing regions was sufficient for the development of the October-to-March main crop even though rain levels remained below average, farmers said on Monday.

They said soil moisture content was supporting the crop, but more downpours interspersed with sun would be needed in September and October for a longer and larger harvest.

Some harvesting has already begun, but significant volumes will start leaving the bush from mid-September, they said.

In the centre-western region of Soubre, at the heart of the cocoa belt, farmers said they were praying for more rain.

"If we have good rain over the next two months, there will be a lot of fruit on the trees until at least February," said Salame Kone, who farms near Soubre.

ADVERTISEMENT

Data collected by Reuters showed rainfall in Soubre was 6.9 millimetres (mm) last week, 8.2 mm below the five-year average.

Cocoa Outlook

In the southern regions of Divo and Agboville and in the western region of Man, where rainfall was also below average, farmers said the cocoa outlook was good and the number of harvests per month was expected to jump to two from October compared with one in September.

In the centre-western region of Daloa, which produces a quarter of Ivory Coast's output, some farmers also forecast abundant harvests from October thanks to the proliferation of big pods on trees.

Data collected by Reuters showed rainfall in Daloa was 16.8 mm last week, 11.4 mm below the five-year average.

ADVERTISEMENT

Rainfall was also below average in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro while rainfall was above average in the eastern region of Abengourou.

Average temperatures over the past week ranged from 24.2 to 26.6 degrees Celsius across the country.

News by Reuters, edited by ESM. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.

Get the week's top grocery retail news

The most important stories from European grocery retail direct to your inbox every Thursday

Processing your request...

Thanks! please check your email to confirm your subscription.

By signing up you are agreeing to our terms & conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.