In Côte d’Ivoire, lack of rain may threaten cocoa harvest — TimesLIVE
In Côte d’Ivoire, rainfall last week was below normal in most major cocoa-growing regions. Farmers fear that dry conditions could hinder the development of young pods, which are due to be harvested next year during the main season from September to February.
As TimesLIVE reports, Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa producer, is currently in its rainy season, which usually lasts from April to mid-November. Farmers said that due to the lack of moisture, some young pods are falling from the trees.
Risks for the main season
Cocoa producers warned that the situation could become worrying if dry weather persists until mid-October. Kouassi Kouamé, a farmer near the western city of Soubré, said there was no rainfall there last week. According to him, if rains do not become regular by mid-October, the main-season harvest will end in December.
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Similar conditions were recorded in the southern region of Agboville, the eastern region of Abengourou and the southern region of Divo. In Agboville and Abengourou, rainfall was significantly below average, while Divo received no rain at all.
Bean quality
Farmers in these regions expect cocoa harvesting rates to increase significantly from next week through December. At the same time, they expressed concerns about the quality of beans already being harvested: cloudy weather, they said, is preventing them from drying properly.
In the west-central region of Daloa, where rainfall was also below normal, rain on Monday morning gave producers hope for more regular rainfall during the week. Last week, 3.6 mm of rain fell near Daloa, 26.1 mm below the average. Farmers in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro also said that more rainfall is needed to support the crop during the period of more active harvesting.
