Weather Positive for Ivory Coast Cocoa

Scattered rain and average sun in most of Ivory Coast’s main cocoa regions last week will boost growth of the main crop, but black pod disease is spreading in some areas due to cloudy weather, farmers said on Monday. The harvest for the October-to-March crop in the world’s top producer is expected to start as early as next week. Farmers said there were enough beans on the trees to last until December,butgoodweatherfromnowthroughOctoberwilldetermine whether the harvest extends into next year. Data collected by Reuters showed that in the past week rainfall in the centre-western Daloa region including Bouafle reached 38.5 millimetres, or 8.5 mm above average. Rain in the western Soubre region including San Pedro and Sassandra was at 17.4 mm, or 0.7 mm above average, and in the western region of Man it was at 55.4 mm, 17.2 mm above average. Forecast average temperatures ranged from 25 to 28 degrees, slightly hotter than the week before. In the Soubre region, at the heart of the cocoa belt, farmers reported light rain and average sunny spells.