Ivory Coast Rains Boost Cocoa Crop After Dry Spell: Farmers

(Reuters) – Rainfall increased over most of Ivory Coast’s cocoa-growing regions last week, farmers said on Monday, raising hopes for a recovery in growth after the mid-crop suffered from atypically dry weather last month.

The rainy season in the world’s top cocoa producer runs from mid-March to late October, but the season has been slow to start. Farmers feared the April-to-September mid-crop would be cut short due to a lack of rain last month.

Farmers on Monday said they were happy as rainfall levels, while still below seasonal averages, were higher than in previous weeks. They expect rains to be more abundant in May and June, boosting the end of the mid-crop.

They said plenty of beans were now leaving the bush, although many of those delivered remained small in size.

“The rain is improving, it’s good for the trees and for the rest of the mid-crop,” said Herve Konan, who farms near the center-western region of Daloa, source of a quarter of national output.

“The trees need abundant rains until June,” said Konan.

Data collected by Reuters showed that rainfall in Daloa, including the region of Bouafle, was at 18.3 millimeters last week, 5.7 mm below the five-year average.