Cocoa arrivals at ports in world top grower Ivory Coast reached 978,549 tonnes by February 24, up from 884,624 tonnes in the same period a year ago, but quality problems persisted as the October-March main crop neared its end.
Data from exporters obtained by Reuters on Friday showed 15,228 tonnes of beans arrived at the ports of Abidjan and San Pedro between February 18-24, up from 7,240 tonnes in the same week of the 2006/2007 season, but down from the previous week.
"We've still got the same quality problems as last week and it doesn't look like it's going to get any better," said the director of a European exporter based in the main city Abidjan. "If the beans continue to be too small, we will not be able to use them for export and they will only be of use to local grinders," he said.
Another exporter in Abidjan said arrivals looked set to fall again this week. "We should see 10,000 tonnes at most this week but it could easily be less. We're not seeing much arrive at the moment in ports," he said.
Farmgate prices in Ivory Coast are at around their highest levels since 2002, the height of a civil war in the former French colony, but growers have complained they are unable to cash in because they have too few beans left to sell.
Weather conditions have not helped in the West African nation, where the main production zones have seen little or no rain over the past two to three months.
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