Heavy rains raise concerns among cocoa farmers

In the coastal region of San Pedro, farmers said heavy daily rain over the past week flooded plantations.

"There was flooding all over the place in the bush. The trees are standing in water. It's not good," said Labbe Zoungrana, who farms in the outskirts of San Pedro.

Downpours will likely be heavy in June in the south and coastal part of the country, an Abidjan-based meteorologist told Reuters.

Farmers in the coastal region of Aboisso said heavy rains made it difficult to dry beans properly.

"It rained too much. That disturbs the drying of the pods," said Etienne Yao, who farms in the outskirts of Aboisso.

In the western region of Soubre, at the heart of the cocoa belt, an analyst reported 40 millimetres of rainfall compared with 31 mm the previous week.

"The weather is good. It means the pods are in good condition," said Salam Kone, who farms on the outskirts of Soubre.

Heavy rains and good growing conditions were also reported in the southern regions of Divo, Agboville and Tiassale and in western regions of Duekoue and Gagnoa.

In the centre-west region of Daloa, which produces a quarter of national output, farmers reported one heavy downpour over the last week.

"The weather's much better. Lots of flowers are starting to come out," said Koffi Konan, who farms on the outskirts of Daloa, adding they needed more rain in a region where there has been a drought.