Cocoa arrivals at ports in Ivory Coast from October 1 to July 1 reached around 1,138,000 tonnes compared with 1,269,334 tonnes received in the same period a year earlier, according to an estimate by exporters on Monday. Exporters estimated around 9,000 tonnes arrived at ports from June 25-July 1, less than half the 20,207 tonnes delivered in the same period one year ago.
A buyer for one international exporter told Reuters he was surprised that deliveries were falling so quickly as the season enters its declining stages. Arrivals the week before last had reached a much higher 13,058 tonnes. "We expected arrivals to fall but not this fast because we were hoping to stay at between 10,000-12,000 tonnes until mid July before going below 10,000. It shows once again that production has not been as good as hoped," he said.