Opportunity for Peru? Shortage of rains raises fears of limited cocoa supply in the Ivory Coast

Below-average rains last week in most of Ivory Coast’s cocoa-growing regions raise fears of tight supplies and poor quality of the April-September mid-crop, farmers said Monday.

The Ivory Coast, the world’s largest cocoa producer, has started its rainy season, which runs from April to mid-November.

Most farmers say that the rains are not meeting expectations. The mid-harvest could end early if farms do not receive more abundant rains, they added.

“There is concern. If it doesn’t rain anymore, we will have little cocoa from July“, said Herve Gbamelewhich grows near the western region of overwhere last week they fell 9 millimeters (mm), 12.9 mm below the five-year average.

A similar feeling was registered in the southern regions of Agboville and Divowhere rainfall was well below average.

However, in the eastern region of Abengourouknown for the good quality of its beans, rainfall was above average and prospects for cocoa remain good, according to farmers.

In the central-western region of Daloaand in the central regions of bongouanou and Yamoussoukrowhere the rains were below average last week, farmers said that a lack of sufficient rains, combined with the heat, could weigh on the size of the grains in the coming months.

“The weather is not good at all. We need a lot of rain, otherwise the grains will be very small in two months and will be rejected by buyers.“, said Jean Marie Agbawhich grows near Daloawhere last week they fell 4.9mm, 16.7mm below average.

Average temperatures ranged from 28.5 to 32 degrees Celsius in Ivory Coast last week.

Currently, Peru is he eighth largest cocoa producer in the world with 150,000 tons in the 2020/2021 campaign (participates with 3% of the total), according to information from the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO).

Source: Reuters