A good mix of rain and sunshine in Nigeria's main cocoa growing areas in the last month has prolonged the mid-crop and raised hopes of a robust main crop, farmers said on Friday. "So far, rainfall has not been too much or too little, it has been in the right volume and sunshine has been equally good," Afun Adegbulu, president of the Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN) told Reuters.
The ideal weather conditions have prolonged the mid-crop, which traditionally runs from April to September in the world's No 4 grower, but oftens ends earlier due to inadequate rain. Steady showers have also maintained soil moisture for trees, while the sun has facilitated flowering and rapid growth of pods for the upcoming main crop.
"The trees are also doing well, they are flowering and pods are developing fast. We are expecting a bumper main crop harvest if things continue like this," Adegbulu said from Akure, capital of southwest Ondo state, Nigeria's biggest cocoa grower.