Ivory Coast weather conditions encourage cocoa flowering

(Reuters) – A mix of rain and sunshine last week across most of Ivory Coast’s main cocoa growing regions aided the development of new flowers, raising optimism ahead of the April-to-September mid-crop harvest, farmers said on Monday.

As the main crop tails off, farmers are looking for at least one good shower per week over the next two months to nurture flowers and cocoa pods for the mid-crop.

Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, is approaching the end of the mid-November to March dry season. And while the rains have picked up in recent weeks, some farmers worried that this season’s severe dry conditions could have a negative impact on bean quality in the first months of the mid-crop.

The southern region of Divo saw one heavy shower during the week, farmers said.

“There’s good soil moisture. The foliage is green and there are enough flowers on the trees,” said Amadou Diallo, who farms on the outskirts of Divo. “There will be cocoa in April, but the big volumes will come out beginning in May.

Good growing conditions were also reported in the southern regions of Aboisso, Agboville, and Tiassale, in the central region of Yamoussoukro and in the western regions of Gagnoa and Duekoue.

Exporters estimated on Monday that 1,188,000 tonnes of beans had been delivered to Ivorian ports by Feb. 22, up from 1,145,000 tonnes in the same period of the previous season.

While cocoa arrivals are currently outpacing those of last season, exporters and analysts believe production will most likely fall short of last season’s record crop due to less favourable weather patterns.

In the western region of Soubre, in the heart of the cocoa belt, an analyst reported 14 millimetres of rainfall, compared with 35 mm the previous week.

“A lot of flowers are developing into cherelles (small pods), but it’s not yet enough to ensure an excellent mid-crop,” said Soubre farmer Salam Kone.

In the western region of Daloa, responsible for a quarter of Ivory Coast’s national output, farmers reported two good rain showers.

“With such a severe dry season, we worry about bean quality for the first two months of the mid-crop,” said Laurent Kouame, who farms on the outskirts of Daloa. “If we get a lot of rainfall in March, the mid-crop will peak in June.”