(Nasdaq) – Heavy rains in Ivory Coast’s western cocoa growing regions and persistent dry conditions in the east have raised concerns about bean quality for the April-to-September mid-crop, farmers said on Monday.
The mid-crop marketing season in Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, opened on April 1 with a guaranteed farmgate price of 700 CFA francs ($1.14) per kilogram, which the government slashed by 36 percent last month.
Farmers in the western growing regions said heavy rains had flooded cocoa fields. In Soubre, in the heart of the cocoa belt, farmers reported at least three downpours that prevented them from reaching their plantations.
“It’s too much. There are plantations that were underwater, roads that were cut off and water that was strong enough to carry even a person,” said Lazare Ake, who farms on the outskirts of Soubre.
“If the rain continues to be so strong and the cocoa trees remain for a long time under water, the harvest will not be good because the strong humidity will spoil the pods,” Ake said.
In the western region of Duekoue, farmers said many beans were mouldy and of poor quality due to the rains. “There is a mould problem because of the strong humidity.
The farmers aren’t able to preserve the beans in the bush,” said Amare Kone, who farms on the outskirts of Duekoue. “For the moment, the strong humidity is good for the trees because there is sun.
But if this continues, there will be insects on the plantations and the flowers risk falling because there is a lot of wind with the rain,” Kone said.
In the centre-western region of Daloa, which accounts for about a quarter of national output, farmers reported one strong rain that would help to improve the quality of beans in the coming weeks.
“The soil is nicely moist. That could help make the beans big in the coming weeks,” said Albert N’Zue, who farms near Daloa.
However, in the eastern region of Abengourou, known for the high quality of its beans, farmers said the heat and persistent lack of rain threaten bean quality.
“The weather is not good. The harvest will not be good if there are many small beans in the crop this year,” said Rene Koffi, who farms near Abengourou.
