Hot weather hits Ivory Coast cocoa mid-crop

Light rain in most of Ivory Coast's main cocoa growing regions last week eased some farmers' fears of flooding but hot weather and humidity continued to threaten the quality of the cocoa mid-crop, farmers said on Monday. The mid-crop marketing season in Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa grower, opened on April 1 with a guaranteed farmgate price of 700 CFA francs ($1.15) per kilogramme, which the government slashed by 36 percent last month.
Farmers reported good weather conditions in the western region of Soubre, at the heart of the cocoa belt, but were more concerned in the south and east. Heavy rain for several weeks has caused drying problems and raised fears of disease. In the eastern region of Abengourou, known for the good quality of its beans, farmers reported scattered rain last week.
"It rained in places but the strong heat means that the trees are continuing to suffer with little fruit on the branches," said Roger Adiane, who farms near Abengourou. Farmers in the southern region of Agboville also said that heat and humidity threatened to cause heavy losses. "There is a delay. At this time last year, lots of flowers had transformed into small pods," said Andre Dori, who farms in the outskirts of Agboville. In Soubre and in the centre-western region of Daloa, which account for about a quarter of national output, farmers reported one good rainfall last week that would help pods grow.
"We are starting to see lots of medium-sized pods on the trees. We hope there will be enough sun and rain to help us harvest many pods in two months' time," said Raphael Kouadio, who farms near Daloa. Other farmers said lack of cash was making it difficult to maintain plantations. Plummeting world cocoa prices have caused the government to cut its 2017 budget by a tenth.
In the southern region of Aboisso, farmers complained of a lack of workers since late December. The lack of workers is a result of low funds due to the overall drop in prices. "There are lots of pods that will blacken on the trees because we don't have the workforce to harvest them," said Etienne Yao, who farms near Aboisso.