Atiwa district entered the dry season with well above average water resources, which supported the trees for longer than usual, despite the lack of rainfall in December.
Then, between mid-January and mid-February, the region experienced a month of harsh conditions with no rainfall to ease the burden of water stress.
For the past two weeks, Atiwa district has received 20-25 mm of rain, which has countered the water stress and helped the plants maintain their pod load. The dry season is far from over and a dry anomaly in early March, such as those seen in 2016 or 2021, would be detrimental to the trees.
