A week of patchy rains mixed with long spells of sunshine should ensure high quality cocoa beans from Ivory Coast's growing regions at least until the end of December, farmers and analysts said on Monday. Farmers in the world's top cocoa-producing nation need a mix of heavy rains and sunshine to grow cocoa and dry the beans, the main ingredient in chocolate.
The 2013/2014 growing season opened last month amid worries that a heavy rainy season had spread black pod disease, impacting the quality of cocoa. Fears that the dry season, due to start next month, would be as harsh as last season's have also stoked concerns over quantity. These fears have pushed exporters and grinders to secure high volumes of beans in the early stages of the October-to-March main crop harvest. Along with rising demand, that helped to push up world cocoa prices last month.
ICE March cocoa was down $64, or 2.40 percent, at $2,607 a tonne by 1300 GMT, after CFTC data showed speculators were holding the biggest net long position since records began in 2006. After two consecutive weeks of heavy rains in the eastern region of Abengourou, near the border with Ghana, the world's number two cocoa producer, an analyst reported no rainfall in the period, after 75 mm the previous week.
"We had a lot of sunshine. Farmers and trucks are going into the bush to collect a lot of cocoa," said Denis Kablan, who farms near Abengourou. "We were worried about the quality, but so far, all is well. The beans is of good quality and buyers are happy," Kablan said.
In the western region of Soubre, in the heart of the Ivorian cocoa belt, an analyst reported 54.5 mm of rainfall last week, up from 52 mm the previous week. "Small pods are still growing. We are confident about the main harvest. These rains are reassuring as we approach the dry season," said Salam Kone, who farms on the outskirts of Soubre. "We have begun the heavy harvest phase. There are still lots of pods on trees. The quality is guaranteed at least until December," Kone said.
In the western region of Gagnoa, an analyst reported 22 mm of rain, up from 18 mm the previous week. "The rainfall is good for now. But the main harvest will depend on the dry season starting this month. If the drought is long in December, output and quality will suffer from January," said farmer and co-operative manager Francois Badiel, who farms near Gagnoa.
Farmers were also upbeat on the prospect of the main crop following favourable weather in southern regions of Agboville and Divo, in western regions of Duekoue, Bouafle and Meagui, and in the south-eastern region of Aboisso. In the centre-western region of Daloa, which produces about a quarter of Ivorian cocoa, farmers said the fine weather augured well for an abundant crop until January. "We are confident that there will be a lot of cocoa until the end of December because the trees are full of cocoa pods at the moment," said Abel Konan who farms near Daloa.
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