ABIDJAN, July 17 (Reuters) - A mix of showers and drier, sunny spells in most of Ivory Coast's main cocoa growing regions last week formed ideal conditions for flowers and small pods to grow ahead of the October-to-March main crop, farmers said on Monday.
The world's top cocoa producer is in the middle of its rainy season, which runs officially from April to mid-November. Rains are usually abundant and often heavy during this period.
Several farmers said many flowers had turned into small pods and that spells of sunny weather were helping them survive. Many said they were using chemicals to prevent disease and boost yields.
"There are good signs. Cocoa trees are starting to be loaded with small pods," said Celestin Boa, who farms near the eastern region of Abengourou, where 54.7 millimetres (mm) of rain fell last week, 30.3 mm above the five-year average.
There were similar reports in the western region of Soubre, where rainfall was below average, and in the southern regions of Agboville and Divo, where it was above average.
The centre-western region of Daloa saw below-average rainfall last week, while rain was significantly above average in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro.
Farmers there said they expected main crop harvests to begin even before October if the weather remained sunny.
"We are expecting a lot of cocoa in September but will need a lot of sun during the coming weeks," said Andre Amoakon, who farms near Bongouanou, where 50.7 mm of rain fell last week, 33.6 mm above average.
Ivory Coast's average temperatures ranged between 24.7 and 27.2 degrees Celsius last week. (Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly Editing by Sofia Christensen and Deepa Babington)
