Cocoa arrivals at ports in Ivory Coast were higher than usual during the third week of September, confirming a good start to the 2005/06 main crop even though the official campaign has not yet officially opened.
An estimate by major exporters seen by Reuters on Monday showed 1,249,037 tonnes of cocoa had reached ports in the world's top grower between October 1, 2004 and September 25, 2005.
That compared with 1,361,563 tonnes delivered to ports in the same period in the 2003/04 season, confirming expectations of a lower crop for the past season.
But the data, which include beans from the 2005/06 campaign, also showed that 19,346 tonnes were delivered between September 19-25 - a figure well above the usual amount at this time of the season - thanks to an early start to the new (October-September) harvest.
Only 30,000 tonnes of cocoa arrived at ports during the whole of September last year.
Buyers and farmers said the latest arrivals data could have been higher still because some producers were holding on to their beans in the bush as they waited for the announcement of a new farmgate price.
The price, which is only indicative and is reviewed every three months, is usually set at the official start of the season on October 1, but the head of the Coffee and Cocoa Bourse - the producer-led marketing body - said last week more negotiations between the various industry players were needed.
"Everybody is waiting for the new price...The farmers think the price will be good and over the past 10 days they have been refusing to sell their cocoa," said Fofana Sinaly of co-operative Coopraba.