Ivory Coast farmers say early Harmattan winds could affect cocoa crops

ABIDJAN, Nov 18 (Reuters) – Dry Harmattan winds could begin to blow early this season in Ivory Coast and this would cause a shortage of cocoa beans from February, farmers said on Monday.

The world’s top cocoa producer is in its dry season that runs from mid-November to March, when downpours are scarce.

Last week, rains were mainly below average in most of Ivory Coast’s main cocoa growing regions but good soil moisture content boosted the October-to-March main crop, farmers said.

They added that many beans were leaving the bush and that harvesting would continue until January.

However, farmers said they expected seasonal winds to start blowing early this year. The Harmattan, which usually sweeps in between December and March from the Sahara desert, can harm cocoa pods and dry the soil, making beans smaller.

“Everything is fine for the moment, but there are fears that the Harmattan will arrive early this year and be strong,” said Ernest Krou, who farms near the west-central region of Daloa, where 0.7 millimetre (mm) of rain fell last week, 8.3 mm below the five-year average.

Similar comments were made in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rains were below average.

In the western region of Soubre and in the southern region of Divo, where rains were also below average, and in the southern region of Agboville and in the eastern region of Abengourou, where rains were above average, farmers said cocoa deliveries from the bush were rising.

They also said that the size and the quality of the crop in February and March would depend on weather conditions that would last until late December.

“If the dry season is not intense and rains are well distributed in December, there will be enough harvesting between February and March,” said Salame Kone, who farms near Soubre, where 6.6 mm of rain fell last week, 12.9 mm below the five-year average.

Average temperatures across the West African country last week ranged from 27 to 28.7 degrees Celsius. (Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Editing by Anait Miridzhanian and Mark Heinrich)

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