KEY POINTS
- Ivory Coast farmers report no rainfall in major cocoa regions.
- Harmattan winds threaten soil moisture and pod development.
- January rains could improve mid-crop quality and output.
Farmers across Ivory Coast are sounding the alarm about the impact of dry weather on the country’s cocoa crop. The world’s largest cocoa producer is currently in the midst of its dry season, which runs from mid-November to March.
This year, a lack of rain and the harsh Harmattan winds are raising concerns about bean quality and yields for both the main and mid-crop seasons.
Dry weather disrupts main and mid-crop harvests
In key cocoa-growing regions such as Daloa, Bongouanou, and Yamoussoukro, farmers reported no rainfall last week. This is 3 millimeters below the five-year average for the period.
Without rain, farmers fear the October-to-March main crop will tail off early, and the April-to-September mid-crop will face a weak start.
“We didn’t get a single drop of rain,” said Faustin Konan, a farmer near Daloa. “It’s not good for the end of the main crop or the beginning of the mid-crop.”
The Harmattan wind, which blows from the Sahara desert between December and March, is compounding the issue. While its intensity has decreased compared to last week, the dry wind depletes soil moisture and can cause cocoa pods to shrink, reducing bean quality.
Farmers urge for consistent rainfall in January
Farmers in other regions like Soubre, Agboville, and Abengourou echoed similar concerns. They said that even though there was no rain last week, steady rainfall every 10 days in January could improve pod development and bean quality for the mid-crop.
“The weather is very hot, so we need well-distributed rainfall in January for trees to produce well,” said Kouassi Kouame, who farms near Soubre.
According to Reuters, in Soubre, rainfall last week was measured at 0 millimeters, 5.7 millimeters above the five-year average. However, these sporadic occurrences do little to support long-term crop health.
Cocoa crop risks linked to temperature and climate trends
Last week, temperatures across Ivory Coast ranged from 26 to 28.2 degrees Celsius. While these are within normal limits, farmers say prolonged dry conditions during the dry season make crops vulnerable to failure.
For the world’s top cocoa producer, the stakes are high. Good rains are critical to ensuring flowering and pod development, which set the stage for the mid-crop season in April.
Without adequate moisture, both the supply and quality of beans could tighten further by February, impacting the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and the global cocoa market.
Farmers remain hopeful that January will bring the rain they need to turn the season around. However, as dry conditions persist, the threat to Ivory Coast’s cocoa production continues to loom large.
