Farmgate prices in Ivory Coast's cocoa regions were mixed from May 16 to 22, data from the Coffee and Cocoa Bourse showed on Tuesday, with poor bean quality in some areas but demand from foreign buyers in others. In the western town of Daloa, which produces a quarter of cocoa output in the world's top grower, the average price fell to 285 CFA francs ($0.55) per kg in the period, which one co-operative manager blamed on poor bean quality in the region.
In the coastal town of San Pedro further south, where prices dropped slightly, one private buyer also complained of a lower quality of beans delivered by farmers during the spell.
"It rains a lot here, practically every two days. The quality of the beans has deteriorated. We see more and more mouldy beans in farmers' deliveries," said buyer Hussein Attie.
In the eastern region of Aboisso, where the average farmgate price rose, one farmer said the rise was due to high offers from merchants from neighbouring Ghana.
Below are average farmgate prices in CFA francs per kg as quoted by private buyers, co-operatives and shippers, and published by the BCC. Included are prices paid on delivery at San Pedro and Abidjan ports.