Ivory Coast is expecting a good cocoa crop this year thanks to the conducive climatic conditions. Despite the dry spell, there is good moisture content in the regions where cocoa is grown thanks to a mild wind, which the locals call Harmattan winds.
Farmers seem to be upbeat about this year’s crop, unlike in the previous years, when the yield was low because of the incessant dry spell. Harmattan winds, originating from desert Sahara can spoil the cocoa pods and sap the moisture in the soil, an essential prerequisite for a good cocoa crop. This time around, there is the wind but it is mild. The expectation is that it would continue till March. November to March is often referred as the dry spell in the region. Happily, all the regions where cocoa is grown is having a conducive weather.
With 70% of world cocoa production, Africa is home to more than two of the world’s major cocoa producers. It has enormous potential and resources to process locally. But the capacities are mostly unexplored. Cocoa farmers complain that they receive only 2% of the US$100 billion generated by the global chocolate industry.
