Côte d’Ivoire is supposed to be in its rainy season, which starts in April and lasts through to November. Rainfall has been less than expected for the time of year, however, and the weather is uncharacteristically dry with above-average temperatures.
Nevertheless, moisture accumulated in the soil over the past week has provided a level of protection in many of the major cocoa-growing areas of Côte d’Ivoire, allowing the April-September mid-harvest to develop and produce large fruit, farmers said on Monday.
Even though conditions are dry in some central parts of the country, such as Daloa and Bongouanou, farmers are nonetheless pleased with the crop growth.
In the main growing region of Soubre, the situation was the reverse in which excessive rainfall has made farmers concerned that their pods could become susceptible to disease and fungus from the humidity.
