Heavy rains dampen Nigeria's 2018/19 cocoa outlook

By Chijioke Ohuocha
LAGOS, June 20 (Reuters) - Heavy rainfall and poor sunshine
across Nigeria's cocoa-growing regions raises the likelihood of
black pod disease which would hurt the main crop this season, an
industry body said on Thursday.
Farmers in Nigeria, the world's fourth-biggest cocoa grower,
are growing increasingly worried about bean quality and black
pod disease in the wake of heavier rains. Besides preventing
mould, sunny weather is also needed for a bigger bean size.
Sayina Riman, president of the Cocoa Association of Nigeria
(CAN), said the 2018/19 season has seen flash floods.
"Black pod is coming and it would be evident in the main
crop," said Riman, who farms on a 170-hectare cocoa plantation
in Nigeria's second-biggest region of Cross Rivers.
Cocoa trees need a delicate balance of rainy and dry
weather. Too little rain and they wither; too much and they
become susceptible to insects or fungal black pod disease. Beans
can also go mouldy if small farmers are unable to dry them
outside.
Riman said the cocoa trees are at the fruiting stage ahead
of the main crop but the weather could affect pod formation.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has forecast the
2018/19 output will be 245,000 tonnes, whereas CAN had forecast
a 30% rise from last season's estimate of 250,000 tonnes.
Riman said the association was now waiting for the end of
the mid-crop before revising its figures.
He said farmgate prices have declined to around 720,000
naira ($2,353) per tonne from 850,000 naira in January.
However, prices could recover after the world's two biggest
producers - Ivory Coast and Ghana - agreed last week to impose a
price floor of $2,600 per tonne on the chocolate ingredient,
Riman said.
Nigeria was not involved in that decision, Riman said, but
added that there had been concerns over the price of the
commodity. He said the issue would be on the table at the next
ICCO meeting in September in Ivory Coast.

($1 = 306.00 naira)