Farmgate prices in Ivory Coast's cocoa areas were mixed from August 1-7, according to the Coffee and Cocoa Bourse on Wednesday, as the holiday season and the nearing end of the mid-crop limited buying interest.
In the western key town of Daloa, where the average price fell by 25 CFA francs per kg to 245, one co-operative manager said the decline was mainly due to a lack of beans to attract buyers.
"A lot of warehouses have already filled up their stocks. They don't really need much more cocoa right now. And they also know that right now quality is not great," Konan said.
In the coastal town of San Pedro, the average price rose five CFA francs per kg to 305, and one Lebanese exporter told Reuters that was due to small purchases by private buyers in the area.
Farmers expect the 2005/06 main crop to start early, with some saying they should be able to harvest the first beans by end August-early September arrivals down
Cocoa arrivals at ports in Ivory Coast reached 1,146,104 tonnes between October 1, 2004 and July 24, 2005, according to an estimate by major exporters seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
That compared with 1,296,605 tonnes delivered to ports at the same period in the 2003/04 season, industry data showed.
The figures showed that 6,699 tonnes arrived at ports between July 19-24. A buyer for a leading UK exporter said there were few beans left in the bush and the quality of much of the remaining supply was low.
"These are the last beans of the season arriving at the port. At this stage in the season it's normal that volumes are low. We're thinking ahead to the October season now," he said.
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