Unseasonal rains in Ivory Coast’s cocoa-growing regions last week are expected to support a strong finish to the October-to-March main cocoa crop, farmers said on Monday.
The world’s leading cocoa producer is currently in its dry season, which typically runs from mid-November to March and is marked by limited rainfall. However, growers said heavier-than-usual downpours in several producing areas have improved soil moisture and strengthened crop prospects for the final months of the marketing campaign.
“It is raining heavily. This is very good for the rest of the campaign,” said Edouard Bogui, a farmer near Soubre in the western cocoa belt. The area recorded 25.3 millimetres of rain last week, around 21 millimetres above the five-year average, according to data cited by farmers.
Producers said the rainfall is helping cocoa trees reach their full potential, particularly for pods expected to mature in February and March. While harvesting activity is expected to slow from mid-January, farmers anticipate higher volumes and better-quality beans later in the season compared with the same period last year.
In the west-central region around Daloa, as well as the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rainfall also exceeded seasonal norms, farmers said cocoa deliveries would likely continue until late March.
“There will be no sudden interruption in harvesting until March because there are still enough pods on the trees,” said Etienne Kanga, a farmer near Daloa. The area received 11.1 millimetres of rain last week, about 8.9 millimetres above the five-year average.
Similar conditions were reported in the southern regions of Agboville and Divo and in the eastern cocoa-producing area of Abengourou, where rainfall was described as well above average. Farmers there said the weather was supporting healthy crop development and sustaining a high availability of cocoa beans.
Producers added that from mid-January, attention would gradually shift toward the development of the April-to-September mid-crop, which follows the main harvest and is also sensitive to rainfall patterns.
Weekly average temperatures across Ivory Coast last week ranged between 27.7 and 30.7 degrees Celsius, levels farmers said remained favourable for cocoa growth.
Ivory Coast accounts for roughly 40% of global cocoa production, and weather conditions during the dry season are closely watched by both farmers and global markets, as they can significantly influence output and bean quality.
