The weather in Ivory Coast’s main cocoa-growing regions has been getting sunnier in the past week, allowing beans to mature in good conditions.
Farmers said the improved weather were also helping beans avoid diseases.
The world’s top cocoa producer is currently in its rainy season, which runs officially from April to mid-November.
Rains last week were below-average but farmers said that the October-to-March main crop was developing well thanks to a good soil moisture.
Farmers added that the harvesting for the main crop had started but many farmers were reluctant to sell their first beans at the current farmgate price.
They hope the price will increase from the current 1,500 CFA francs ($2.54) per kilogram early in October.
‘Plenty Of Harvesting’
In the western region of Soubre, the southern regions of Agboville and Divo and the eastern region of Abengourou, where rains were below average last week, farmers said they hoped for a good mix of rain and sun from now until late October.
Farmer and cooperative member Jacob Alleba said, “Many cocoa pods are on the trees and the weathers is good to have a lot of cocoa at the start of the main crop.”
Alleba farms near Soubre, where 1.8 millimetres of rain fell last week, 15 millimetres below the five-year average.
In the west-central region of Daloa and in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rains were also below average last week, farmers said they will harvest many pods of different sizes until December.
They added that more rain and sun were needed until late October to ensure an abundant, good-quality harvest until early February.
Farmer Laurent Konan said, “With the many pods on the trees, there will be plenty of harvesting in November and December.”
Konan farms near Doala, where 10.9 millimetres of rain fell last week, 17.4 millimetres below the five-year average.
Average temperatures across Ivory Coast ranged from 24.8 to 25.9 degrees Celsius over the past week.
Read More: Cocoa Farmers Concerned About Cooler Weather In Ivory Coast
