More sun needed in Ivory Coast cocoa regions to boost main crop, farmers say

ABIDJAN, Aug 3 (Reuters) - More sunny weather is needed across most of Ivory Coast's cocoa-growing regions to support the September-to-February main crop, farmers ‌said on Monday, after below-average rainfall and a cooling spell last week.

• ‌The world's top cocoa producer is currently in its rainy season, which typically runs from April to ​mid-November.

• Several farmers across the country said the soil moisture content was still high enough to support tree development for several weeks.

• Farmers said prospects at the moment were promising, but warned that without proper application of fertilisers and pesticides in plantations ‌this month, fruits would die ⁠and reduce the expectation of a good crop.

• "It can get very cold at times. Now is the time to treat the crops, ⁠otherwise there will be significant losses," said Kouassi Kouame, who farms near the western region of Soubre, where 0.6 mm of rain fell last week, 11.6 mm below ​the five-year ​average.

• Farmers in the southern regions of ​Agboville and Divo and in the ‌eastern region of Abengourou, where rains were below average, said plenty of fruits were still proliferating on the trees.

• If the weather remained favorable until September, harvesting for the main crop would start to be abundant from mid-October until December at least, they said.

• In the west-central region of Daloa, and in the central ‌regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, also with below-average ​rains, farmers said plantations have yielded well, but ​more rains in September could jeopardize ​the crop's development, with incidence of disease.

• "Many fruits are growing ‌in size, promising a bountiful harvest. However, ​if there is heavy ​rain in September, there will be a risk of disease in the plantations," said Albert N'Zue, who farms near Daloa, where 2.4 mm fell ​last week, 17 mm below ‌the five-year average.

• Weekly temperatures across Ivory Coast ranged between 24.4 and ​27.4 degrees Celsius (75.9 and 81.3 degrees Fahrenheit).

(Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Editing ​by Amindeh Blaise Atabong and Jan Harvey)