Abundant rains last week in Ivory Coast benefited cocoa crops in western regions in the last stage of the mid crop but triggered concerns in eastern regions about black pod disease, farmers and analysts said on Monday. A five-month drought from November to March has lowered output expectations for the world's top cocoa producer's April-to-September mid-crop harvest.
But abundant rains have returned in recent months. Cocoa farmers need the right mix of sunshine and rainy spells to enable the development of their crops and the drying of their beans after harvest. In the western region of Daloa, which accounts for a quarter of Ivory Coast's total output, farmers said rainfall would help cocoa trees to start to produce new flowers. Farmers said the month of July would be crucial for the end of the mid-crop and the start of the new season. Wet weather punctuated by sunny spells would pave the way for a good harvest at the end of the mid-crop and ensure a strong start to the 2012/2013 main crop. In the eastern region of Abengourou, one analyst reported 61 mm of rainfall last week, up from 10 mm the week before. Farmers said it had rained a lot in the south, and the fungal black pod disease was spreading due to the lack of sunshine.