Ivory Coast weather supports main cocoa crop, farmers say
ABIDJAN, Oct 14 (Reuters) -Below-average rains last week in most of Ivory Coast's main cocoa regions should help the development of the October-to-March main crop, which could be higher quality and more abundant than the previous season, farmers said on Monday.
The world's biggest cocoa producer is in its rainy season, which runs officially from April to mid-November, when rains are frequent and often heavy.
Farmers across the country mostly said they were happy with the weather, and that plantations had plenty of large and average-sized pods to be harvested until December.
Farmers said most cocoa trees in plantations carried more pods this season compared with the same period last year.
Ivory Coast's dry season runs from mid-November to March, when rains are scarce.
Farmers interviewed by Reuters said they needed adequate rains before then to improve soil moisture, which could boost the development of abundant small pods on the trees for harvest in January and February.
In the western region of Soubre, the southern regions of Agboville and Divo, and the eastern region of Abengourou, where rains were below the average, farmers and cooperative members said many trucks were loading beans in villages and the flow of beans leaving the bush was rising sharply.
They said increased spells of sunshine had created good drying conditions and was improving the quality of the beans.
"Everywhere in the villages there is cocoa and it is selling well," said Salame Kone, who farms near Soubre, where 10.2 millimetres (mm) (0.4 inch) of rain fell last week, 15 mm below the five-year average.
In the centre-western region of Daloa, where rains were also below average, and in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rains were above average last week, farmers said sunshine was improving the quality of beans and drying out flooded rural roads, helping the transportation of beans.
"If there is good rain before the dry season begins in November, the harvest will be abundant and of good quality until February," said Alfred Konan, who farms near Yamoussoukro, where 45.4 mm fell last week, 19.7 mm above the average.
The weekly average temperature ranged from 25.6 to 27.1 degrees Celsius (78.08°F to 80.78°F).
Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Editing by Portia Crowe and Barbara Lewis
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