Farmers say abundant rains in Ivory Coast portend a successful end to the cocoa mid-crop

The development of the April-to-September mid-crop is anticipated to be aided by the above-average rainfall that occurred last week in the majority of Ivory Coast’s major cocoa-growing regions, farmers said Monday.

The world’s leading cocoa producer, Ivory Coast, has begun its rainy season, which lasts from April to mid-November and is marked by frequent and intense downpours.

Regular rains through May, according to farmers, will aid in the development of young cherelles and small pods that will be ready for harvest in August and September, increasing output at the mid-crop’s tail end.

According to producers, the cloudy weather in cocoa-growing regions this week indicates that additional rain is expected the next week.

Last week, precipitation was below average in the southern region of Divo, while it was above average in the eastern region of Abengourou, the southern region of Agboville, and the western region of Soubre.

Harvesting was picking up, according to farmers in the various regions, who also reported seeing a lot of big pods on trees that would be ready for harvest in May and June.

“With this weather, we’ll have good quality beans,” according to Laurent Gnaly, who farms close to Soubre, where last week’s 36.1 mm of rain was 17.4 mm more than the five-year average.

Farmers reported that while growing conditions were improving, supply was still limited in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rainfall was above average, and in the center-western region of Daloa, where rains were below average.

“The grinders ask us for a lot of beans, but there’s not much cocoa coming in from the bush,” said Antoine Koffi, who farms close to Yamoussoukro, which received more rainfall last week—38.3 mm, 16.7 mm more than usual.

The average weekly temperature was between 27.6 and 30.6 degrees Celsius.