ABIDJAN, March 28, 2011 - Ivory Coast's main cocoa growing regions last week saw plenty rainfall and mixed with sunny weather, which could boost the quality and the size of the forthcoming mid-crop, farmers and analysts said on Monday.
The October-to-March main crop in Ivory Coast has just ended and farmers are eyeing the April-to-September midcrop, which is expected to be abundant and of good quality compared with last season.
However, a violent political standoff that has brought the world's top cocoa producer to the verge of an all out civil war is seen as a risk to the cocoa harvest.
Heavy clashes broke out in a cocoa-producing area of western Ivory Coast between forces loyal to incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and his rival Alassane Ouattara on Monday.
An analyst working for an industrial plantation in the eastern region of Abengourou, near the border with Ghana, reported 66 mm (2.6 inches) of rains punctuated by sunny spells.
Farmers said they expected more beans because a good number of cocoa pods were large in size compared with those last year.
"The pods are larger this year because they had enough water," said Joseph Amani, a farmer in Abengourou, in the east of the country. "It rained heavily and there is the sun."
In the southern region of Aboisso, analyst reported 30.5 mm of rains. Farmers said they were happy with the weather, particularly the long sunny spells, because some growers have started harvesting in the area.
"It is hot, which is very good for drying cocoa beans," said Etienne Yao, a farmer who said that if the weather stays that way, it will enable the smaller pods to grower larger with quality beans in them.
In the western region of Soubre, at the heart of the cocoa belt, analyst reported about 54 mm of rains.
Farmers said good downpours and sun, would lead to a bumper crop compared with last season as plenty flowers and small pods were proliferating in plantations.
"There are lots of cocoa pods on trees in the bush and harvesting for the midcrop has begun," said agronomist Lassen Traore in the coastal region of Sassandra where 1.5 mm of rainfall was reported.
In the centre-western region of Daloa, which produces a quarter of Ivory Coast's national cocoa output, farmers reported three abundant rainfalls which they said would extend the mid-crop season over long period.------
