Ghana's 2017/18 cocoa output could top 900,000 tonnes, higher than the regulator Cocobod's 850,000 tonne forecast due to favourable weather and improved farming techniques, leading farmers said on Friday.
Favourable rainfall across the world's second largest exporter's cocoa belt will also boost the 2018/19 main crop, which begins in October, four leading farmers told Reuters in separate interviews in Accra.
The West African country is in its wet season and has received more intermittent rains than in recent years. Head farmers from Central, Eastern and Western regions, said the weather had aided pod development significantly.
"It's a general feeling that this year has been good because of the rains... Production will go up also because there has been extensive (farm) pruning and prompt delivery of extension services," Kofi Sarpong Boateng, chief farmer for the eastern cocoa region told Reuters.
Boateng said he had harvested more than 30 bags of cocoa through this year's main crop, compared to less than 20 bags in the same period last season.
"There has been good flowering along with lots of cherelles (developing pods) on the back of the rains," central region chief farmer Nana Kwasi Ofori said.
A hand-pollination programme launched by Cocobod last year was rapidly boosting yield, another farmer, Gaddiel Korankye said.
A senior Cocobod official told Reuters that the regulator was on target to achieve its 850,000 tonnes forecast for this year but declined comment on the farmers' projection that output will exceed 900,000 tonnes.
Cocobod opened its cocoa minor crop purchases, mostly discounted to local grinders, on June 29 and kept the price it pays farmers unchanged at 7,600 cedis ($1,586) per tonne.
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