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.

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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.