Arrivals of cocoa beans from plantations in the state of Bahia increased to 10,431 60-kg bags in the week from April 2-8, after having remained below 8,000 bags for the three previous weeks, potentially signalling the start of a more prolonged upward move.
According to Thomas Hartmann weekly cocoa report, published over the weekend, cocoa arrivals from all other producing regions in Brazil for that period, including Paro, amounted to 15,022 bags, which takes total Brazil arrivals to 25,453 bags. "The flow of beans from the producing states recovered and one more large shipment of imported cocoa arrived in Ilheus (Bahia)," said Hartmann in the report, which indicated the arrival of 118,236 bags from other countries.
Brazil is approaching its high producing period in the main states of Bahia and Paro. Plantations have been expanding in Paro, where there are expectations for higher production this year compared to 2017, due to favourable weather and better crop care, according to Brazil's official cocoa farming body Ceplac. Benedito Rodrigues Lopes, Ceplac's analyst at Medicilondia, Paro, said average production in the region is expected to be the highest since 2015, when output reached 1.27 kg of beans per tree. Ceplac projects an average yield of 1.5 kg per tree this year, compared to around 0.8 or 0.9 kg seen last year.
"There is potential for an excellent crop, trees are well loaded with fruits," Lopes said, adding that farmers should be alert for signals of diseases to guarantee that expectations are met. Hartmann's report says cumulative cocoa arrivals from Brazil producing regions for the 2017/18 crop (May-April) are at 146,575 tonnes while imports are at 68,735 tonnes.