Persistent dry, hot weather worries Ivory Coast cocoa farmers

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Dry weather and high temperatures continued last week in most of Ivory Coast's cocoa-growing regions, raising concerns for the size and quality of the April-to-September mid-crop, farmers said on Monday. Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, is in its dry season which runs from mid-November to March, when rain is usually scarce.

Farmers blamed a recent heat wave for weakening some cocoa trees and slowing the growth of small pods. They said abundant rainfall was needed in the next two weeks to limit damage on plantations.

"We need at least one good rain. The soil is becoming dry... it's not good for the yield of the mid-crop," said Albert N'Zue, who farms near the centre-western region of Daloa.

No rain fell in Daloa last week, compared to an average of 11.6 millimetres (mm) for the corresponding week over the past five years.

Similar comments were reported in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, which also got no rain last week.

In the western region of Soubre, at the heart of the cocoa belt, 6.5 mm of rain fell, 2.9 mm below the five-year average.

"The trees got a bit of water. It's better than nothing," said Kouassi Kouame, who farms near Soubre.

There was a little rain last week in the southern region of Divo and the eastern region of Abengourou, and no rain in the southern region of Agboville.

Farmers in those regions said abundant rainfall was needed in the next two weeks or buyers would reject beans during the mid-crop for poor quality.

Average temperatures ranged from 28.8 to 33 degrees Celsius in Ivory Coast's cocoa-growing regions last week.

(Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Editing by Nellie Peyton and Chizu Nomiyama)