Ivory Coast cocoa farmers hope for more sunny days

ABIDJAN, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Heavy rainfall last week in most of Ivory Coast’s cocoa-growing regions was accompanied by some of the sunniest days in months, improving bean quality, farmers said on Monday. Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, is on the cusp of the dry season which runs from mid-November to March. Farmers said more rainfall mixed with sunny spells was needed before the arrival of December’s dry harmattan winds for next year’s harvest to develop well. But continuing heavy rains could cause cherelles and small pods to fall from trees and reduce the size of next year’s crop, they added. While consistent sunshine throughout last week helped farmers dry beans properly, some reported the high moisture content had caused damage to trees. “The sunshine has to continue. We have plantations where young pods are rotting on trees because of the high moisture content,” said Jocelin Anvo, who farms near the southern region of Agboville. In Agboville, data collected by Reuters showed rainfall was 97.7 mm last week, 75.4 mm above the five-year average. In the eastern region of Abengourou, known for the good quality of its beans, rainfall was at 68.6 mm, 46.4 mm above average. Farmers there also reported concerns over black pod disease and humidity. In the southern region of Divo, rainfall was 45 mm, 26.1 mm above average. In the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rainfall was both above average, farmers said the sunny weather was improving growing conditions. “The harvests are getting bigger and there is still a lot of cocoa on the trees. If the dry season doesn’t come ruin the pods, we will have a lot of money,” said Julien Koffi, who farms near Soubre. ADVERTISEMENT Rainfall in Soubre, which includes the regions of San Pedro and Sassandra, was 26.8 mm, 7.8 mm above the five-year average. In the region of Daloa, which includes the region of Bouafle, rainfall was 38.1 mm, 25.9 mm above average. Average temperatures ranged from 24.7 to 27.1 Celsius. (Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Editing by Anna Pujol-Mazzini and Edmund Blair) Fuente: https://af.reuters.com/article/ivoryCoastNews/idAFL8N27K4PY