Hot weather and insufficient rainfall last week in top grower Ivory Coast's eastern cocoa regions are feeding concerns of a poor April-to-September mid-crop harvest there, farmers said on Tuesday. In the eastern region of Abengourou, known for the high quality of its beans, farmers were frustrated.
"It's hot and it's not raining. When it rains it's not much," said Lambert Yao, who farms in the outskirts of Abengourou. "The mid-crop is lost for us, because there isn't much on the trees." Overall, however, the weather appeared to bolster predictions of a bumper crop that exporters say could reach a record 2 million tonnes and which has already contributed to a supply glut that has sent prices plummeting since last year.
July London cocoa fell 2 pounds, or 0.1 percent, on Tuesday to 1,433 pounds a tonne. July New York cocoa rose $27, or 1.5 percent, to $1,839 a tonne after ending 1.6 percent lower on Monday. In the centre-western region of Daloa, which accounts for about a quarter of national output, farmers reported two abundant showers. "Harvesting is still weak and the beans are very small," said Daloa farmer Albert N'Zue. "With good rainfall and plenty of sunshine, the quality can improve in July."
Similar growing conditions were reported in the western region of Bouafle. In the western region of Duekoue, farmers reported several heavy showers. "We have a lot of pods on the trees. We now need plenty of sunshine to avoid disease because there will be even more rains in the weeks to come," farmer and cooperative manager Amara Kone said. In the Soubre region, in the heart of the cocoa belt, farmers reported four rain showers during the week. "There's a good bit of harvesting right now. But the problem is the drying, which is a bit slow," said Koffi Kouame, who farms in Soubre. "We think that the harvesting will taper off a lot after July, but it won't stop."