Prolonged dry conditions across several of Ivory Coast's principal cocoa-growing regions that continued into last week are threatening the development of the April-to-September mid-crop harvest, farmers said on Monday. Dealers are keeping a close watch on top grower Ivory Coast's port arrivals, which are outpacing last season's levels significantly despite concerns about poor weather in the run-up to the main harvest. A marked slowdown is expected this month.
March cocoa on ICE was off $3 or 0.1 percent at $2,789 a tonne on Monday while May cocoa on Liffe fell 7 pounds or 0.4 percent lower to 1,758 pounds ($2,900) a tonne. Ivory Coast is in its dry season, which runs from mid-November to March, during which rainfall tends to be sporadic. Farmers said that plantations need one shower a week from January to late February to ensure good bean development and ward off a drop in quality in the first months of the mid-crop harvest.
In the central western region of Daloa, responsible for a quarter of Ivory Coast's national output, farmers reported no rain for the third consecutive week. "We have good foliage and some flowers on the trees for the mid-crop, but if it doesn't rain before mid-February that will all be lost," said Abel Konan, who farms on the outskirts of Daloa. In the eastern region of Abengourou, known for the quality of its beans, farmers expressed concern over the length of the dry spell.
"The soil is dry and cracked in some areas. Some trees have dry leaves. If this continues, our mid-crop won't really start until the end of May or early June," said N'Dri Kouao, who farms in Niable near the border of Ghana. Farmers in the coastal region of San Pedro also said there were no rain showers during the week.
"There are still some pods for the main crop, but the mid-crop will be small and very late if this dry weather continues into February," said San Pedro farmer Labbe Zoungrana. Despite a lack of rainfall in the western region of Soubre, farmers said that growing conditions remain good thanks to good soil moisture content. "We have cherelles (small pods) and some flowers on the trees, and the weather is good for flower development for a strong mid-crop," said Salam Kone, who farms on the outskirts of Soubre.
In the western region of Man, farmers reported abundant rainfall and hot weather. Similar growing conditions were reported in the western regions of Duekoue, Bangolo and Meagui. "It's raining in some areas and it's looking good for the mid-crop. The main crop harvesting has slowed down, but there will be some cocoa into March," said Duekoue farmer Amara Kone.
Source - http://www.brecorder.com/
