Ivory Coast farmers hope for more rain, sunshine to boost cocoa crop growth
ABIDJAN, June 9 (Reuters) - Soil moisture is helping the April-to-September mid-crop to develop across most of Ivory Coast's main cocoa growing regions, farmers said on Monday, adding that they hoped for a mix of rain and sunshine to boost growth even more.
Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, is in its rainy season which runs officially from April to mid-November, when rains are abundant and often heavy.
However, they were below average last week, farmers said, adding that the weather was often cloudy and overcast.
Although beans continued leaving the bush, growers feared a drop in quality.
They said if the weather remained adequate with a good mix of sun and rains until late June, it would help the last stage of the mid-crop.
In the western region of Soubre, in the southern region of Agboville and Divo and in the eastern region of Abengourou, where rains were below average, farmers said they expected significant volumes of beans to leave the bush.
However, they warned that harvesting would start to fall from July. So far, they haven't seen any signs of damage in their plantations.
"The weather is good, there are still enough pods on the trees, and the future looks promising,' said Kouassi Kouame, who farms near Soubre, where 37.1 millimetres (1.46 inches) of rain fell last week, 18.4 mm below the five-year average.
In the west-central region of Daloa and in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rains were below average, farmers said weather conditions from June to late July would be crucial for the last stage of the mid-crop and the start of the next main crop.
"In the next few weeks, harvesting will drop sharply and we'll be watching to see how the end of the mid-crop and the start of the next main crop progress,' said Albert N'Zue, who farms near Daloa, where 9.1 mm of rain fell last week, 20.8 mm below the five-year average.
The weekly average temperature across Ivory Coast last week ranged from 25.7 to 29 degrees Celsius.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Crop Watch: Corn improves again but soybeans still iffy: Braun
NAPERVILLE, Illinois, June 9 (Reuters) - Health conditions across the U.S. Crop Watch corn and soybean fields began this season at multi-year lows. Recent weather has lent a bump to the corn ratings, though soybean scores remain just so-so overall. However, one of the Illinois Crop Watch soybean fields might qualify as the ugliest the producer has ever seen, placing extra emphasis on the near-term weather outlook. The week ahead could feature an opportunity for improvement to both corn and soybeans, though the temperature outlook may present some limitations. Temperatures across the U.S. Corn Belt last week were mostly below-average and all locations except the Dakotas received at least 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) of rain. The 11-field, average Crop Watch corn condition rose to 3.8 from 3.68 in the prior week. That is above the same week a year ago but below the comparable weeks in the previous three years. However, the 0.23-point increase over the last two weeks is well above a normal two-week delta for Crop Watch corn ratings. Improvement in the latest week was driven by Kansas and the Dakotas. The 11 Crop Watch producers assign weekly condition scores to their corn and soybean fields using a scale of 1 to 5. The ratings are similar to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's system where 1 is very poor, 3 is average and 5 is excellent. Only eight soybean fields were available for conditions last week, averaging 3.56. This week's average of the same eight fields drops to 3.5 on a reduction in southeastern Illinois, which is one of the nation's top soybean-producing regions. That field received over 3 inches of rain last week, piling on to the ample totals from previous weeks. The field conditions stand at 1.5 and the producer describes the situation as follows: 'Cannot stress enough how wet it is, the ground looks slimed.' Excess moisture is also plaguing crops in Ohio. The Crop Watch beans there were planted last Wednesday, though the field has taken 6 inches of rain since, and the plants have not yet emerged. This week, the 10-field average soybean condition score, sans Ohio, stands at 3.4. Aside from troubles in southeastern Illinois and Ohio, Crop Watch beans are looking super-strong in Indiana and western Iowa, and solid in both Kansas and eastern Iowa. Nearly all the Crop Watch producers expressed a desire for some drier conditions in the days ahead, though the forecast as of Monday was mixed on those prospects. They also noted the need for some warmth and sunshine, which is in the forecast for most areas for at least a couple of days this week. Crop Watch producers assessed that the week-ahead weather outlook was more positive than negative. But for some areas, particularly in the northwest Corn Belt, upcoming temperatures may still be a bit too cool. Producers will be watching for how the ongoing Canadian wildfire smoke might impact crop growth, as the particles can block much-needed solar radiation and potentially lead to cooler-than-expected temperatures. Karen Braun is a market analyst for Reuters. Views expressed above are her own. Enjoying this column? Check out Reuters Open Interest (ROI), opens new tab, your essential new source for global financial commentary. ROI delivers thought-provoking, data-driven analysis of everything from swap rates to soybeans. Markets are moving faster than ever. ROI, opens new tab can help you keep up. Follow ROI on LinkedIn, opens new tab and X., opens new tab
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
Ivory Coast farmers hope for more rain, sunshine to boost cocoa crop growth
ABIDJAN, June 9 (Reuters) - Soil moisture is helping the April-to-September mid-crop to develop across most of Ivory Coast's main cocoa growing regions, farmers said on Monday, adding that they hoped for a mix of rain and sunshine to boost growth even more. Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, is in its rainy season which runs officially from April to mid-November, when rains are abundant and often heavy. However, they were below average last week, farmers said, adding that the weather was often cloudy and overcast. Although beans continued leaving the bush, growers feared a drop in quality. They said if the weather remained adequate with a good mix of sun and rains until late June, it would help the last stage of the mid-crop. In the western region of Soubre, in the southern region of Agboville and Divo and in the eastern region of Abengourou, where rains were below average, farmers said they expected significant volumes of beans to leave the bush. However, they warned that harvesting would start to fall from July. So far, they haven't seen any signs of damage in their plantations. "The weather is good, there are still enough pods on the trees, and the future looks promising,' said Kouassi Kouame, who farms near Soubre, where 37.1 millimetres (1.46 inches) of rain fell last week, 18.4 mm below the five-year average. In the west-central region of Daloa and in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rains were below average, farmers said weather conditions from June to late July would be crucial for the last stage of the mid-crop and the start of the next main crop. "In the next few weeks, harvesting will drop sharply and we'll be watching to see how the end of the mid-crop and the start of the next main crop progress,' said Albert N'Zue, who farms near Daloa, where 9.1 mm of rain fell last week, 20.8 mm below the five-year average. The weekly average temperature across Ivory Coast last week ranged from 25.7 to 29 degrees Celsius.
BBC News
8 hours ago
- BBC News
County Cavan: Lightning strike kills 10 young cattle
Ten young cattle have been killed in a lightning strike in the Republic of one-year-old heifers died on a farm at Butlersbridge in County News NI understands the animals were struck while sheltering under a tree during rain and lightning strikes in the region on Friday Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smith described it as a "rare and freak incident". 'Emotional and financial loss' He said: "I was shocked to hear of the loss of 10 cattle and it must have been a terrible shock for the famer to come along and see that."Mr Smith said that his thoughts were with the farmer concerned. "Naturally it's a big financial loss, but on a family farm where they work seven days a week, it's an emotional one too," he added."When there are storms and bad weather farmers are always out there tending to their cattle."I was brought up on a farm and served as Minister for Agriculture and I know farmers take great pride in rearing their cattle and tending to them across Ireland."
