Cocoa

COTE D’IVOIRE WEATHER THREATENS TO SHORTEN COCOA MID-CROP

According to Cote d’Ivoire farmers, persistent below-average rains in most of Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa-growing regions were threatening the April-to-September mid-crop.

Farmers across the country stated that harvesting was picking up, and they were still confident that considerable volumes of beans would leave the bush until late June. But they also added that plenty of cherelles and small pods to be harvested in August and September had not received sufficient rainfall since April, which could endanger their development and shorten the mid-crop.

Farmers also stated that there were big fears that they would not be able to handle a large amount of cocoa beans after June. Beans could also be of small size and poor quality in July compared with the first three months of the mid-crop. Brice Amon, a farmer, said that the lack of abundant rainfall is too long this year and that it can shorten the mid-crop compared with last year.

According to data collected by Reuters, the rainfall in Daloa was 3 millimetres (mm) last week, 21 mm below the five-year average. Also, In the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rainfall was well below average, farmers shared the same concerns. In the western part of Soubre, farmers said the damage could be limited if they saw abundant rainfall this week.

Kouassi Kouame, who farms near Soubre said that if abundant rains start soon, harvests will be plentiful at the end of the mid-crop

Author

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

en_GBEnglish