In the Bas-Sassandra district of the Ivory Coast, lives Jean Baptiste Saleyo. On several acres of his family’s estate, the man has been growing cocoa for many years. The erratic rain this year, though, has had an impact on his harvest.
He is depressed as he evaluates how ripe one of his cocoa pods is.
“It didn’t rain when it ought to have rained. It’s raining right now at the end of October, but it’s too late.”
Nearly half of the raw cacao used in chocolate is produced in Ivory Coast.
According to the cooperative that assists farmers with marketing their produce, small-scale cocoa producers are suffering as a result of climate change.
The secretary-general of the farming cooperative Anouanze, Jean Yao Brou, says that the lack of rain has hurt production. “Therefore, if you were hoping to harvest 500 kg, you will only receive 200 kg. Our farmers are extremely concerned about their crops “.
For the cocoa tree to produce healthy fruit, rain must fall at the appropriate points in the growing cycle. Crop disease might result from arriving at the incorrect moment.
Dr. Doga Dabe states, “… If the plants don’t get rain when they need it, that can affect their growth cycle.”
“This may then cause production to decline. However, some (plant) illnesses that weren’t there before are now emerging “The National Centre for Agronomic Research’s (CNRA) researcher draws a conclusion.
According to the Coffee-Cocoa Council, cocoa farming supports roughly a quarter of the population in Ivory Coast, employing close to 600,000 farmers.
15% of the country’s GDP is made up of the output.
