Ivory Coast's cooler weather raises concerns among cocoa farmers
ABIDJAN, Aug 19 (Reuters) -Above average rains boosted the development of the October to March main crop in most of Ivory Coast's main cocoa growing regions last week although cooler temperatures raised some concerns, farmers said on Monday.
The world's top cocoa producer is in its rainy season, which runs officially from April to mid-November.
Farmers said the crop was developing well so they expected significant volumes of good quality beans to leave the bush from September, adding that harvesting would increase sharply in October.
However, some farmers said they were concerned by cooler weather over the last week.
If colder temperatures persist until mid-September it would stop the crop reaching its maximum potential and could prevent farmers from properly drying the first beans.
In the west-central region of Daloa and the central regions of Yamoussoukro and Bongouanou, where rains were above average last week, farmers said good rainfall mixed with sunny spells in September and October would help the main crop to last longer than last year.
They added that they were still optimistic that the main crop would have a strong start in October.
"We're happy this year when we look at branches and trunks of the trees. It's full of cocoa," said farmer and cooperative member Remi Allou, who farms near Daloa, where 27.3 millimetres (mm) of rain fell last week, 4.2 mm above the five-year average.
In the western region of Soubre, the southern region of Agboville and the eastern region of Abengourou, where rains were below average, and in the southern region of Divo, where rains were above average, farmers said the crop was developing well but a cold wave was threatening young fruits.
"For the moment there is no damage. But if the cold persists, it could dry out many small pods," said Salame Kone, who farms near Soubre, where 11 mm of rain fell last week, 2.6 mm below the five-year average.
Farmers in those regions said signs pointed to an earlier start to main crop harvesting compared with last year.
Average temperatures across Ivory Coast ranged from 23.8 to 26.5 degrees Celsius over the past week.
Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Editing by Anait Miridzhanian, Kirsten Donovan
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