Ivory Coast's cocoa mid-crop output is expected to drop around 40% this season after an unusually long dry season and limited, patchy rainfall hit crops in the main production regions, exporters and pod counters said.
Farmers have said rains were scattered and irregular in the West African country and proper downpours were needed to boost production and ensure bean quality during the mid-crop season, which begins on April 1 and ends on September 30.
Get a look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets with the Morning Bid U.S. newsletter. Sign up here.
Five pod counters and five exporters told Reuters they expect farmers to harvest between 280,000 and 300,000 metric tons of cocoa due to the dry spell, which deteriorates beans' size and quality.
Last season, the Ivory Coast harvested 500,000 tons of cocoa, according to data from the Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC). Over the last 10 years, the country has produced an average 550,000 tons per year, the cocoa regulator and some exporters say.
"What has caused this significant drop in production is the long period of drought from November until now. It's unusual and the consequences are catastrophic," one exporter told Reuters.
Prolonged drought means the arrival of the first beans to ports will be significantly delayed, the sources said.
"We should have seen the mid-crop on trees and in fields around November or December, but it's only now that flowers and (small pods known as) cherelles are starting to appear in small numbers," said an exporter based in San Pedro.
"We'll have to be patient and wait from June onwards to see the activity really take off," he added.
Farms have no cocoa beans ready for harvest, "just one or two pods here and there", said an Abidjan-based exporter.
Meanwhile, cocoa flowers require 22 weeks to become mature pods, which means there will be a big delay, he added.
Latest Stories
-
Mohammed Sukparu commits to advancing Ghana’s Artificial Intelligence agenda
8 minutes -
‘What is coding?’ – Question raises eyebrows during Deputy Communication Minister-nominee’s hearing
22 minutes -
WAFCON 2024: Ghana’s Black Queens claim third-place after penalty win over South Africa
28 minutes -
Ghana celebrates 100-year-old WWII veteran Joseph Ashitey Hammond
1 hour -
Measures announced in Mid-Year Budget Review fully in line with programme objectives – IMF
1 hour -
This Saturday on Newsfile: AG drops charges in uniBank trial, Aud-General’s report, and Mid-Year Budget Review
1 hour -
Parliament passes Road Maintenance Trust Fund Bill
2 hours -
Heavy security deployed at Manhyia Palace following Asawase shootings
2 hours -
Kumawu MP Ernest Anim urges Parliament to act on crisis in Ghana’s prisons
3 hours -
Kumawu MP decries ‘Inhumane’ feeding rate in Ghana’s prisons
3 hours -
Mahama appeals for calm in Nkwanta, condemns recent killings
4 hours -
Ghana Career and Migration Fair 2025 launched to prepare youth for the future of work
4 hours -
Mfantsiman Old Girls’ Association to hold National Health Walk on August 2
4 hours -
Ecobank-JoyNews Habitat Fair opens in Tema with three-day housing clinic
4 hours -
I’ll use my legal experience to support Ghana’s consular diplomacy – Gyakye Quyason
4 hours