Only 11mm of rain fell in Soubre last week; that’s about 60% of the five-year average. Soubre is one of the main growing regions, located toward the west of the country and is where many of the nation’s farmers carve out their living.
Yet the level of moisture being measured in the soil is still good, and the trees are free from disease, leaving farmers feeling optimistic about their chances of a bumper crop this year.
Everything’s going well for the main crop. We expect lots of cocoa from October
Marcel Alleba, a Cocoa farmer in Soubre, Côte d’Ivoire (source Reuters)
Other parts of the country also reported below-average rainfall. Daloa, for example, saw only 10mm of rain in the last week, about 50% of what the farmers might expect. In order for the harvest to develop to meet its potential, there will need to be more rain in September and October.
