The dry season, or harmattan, is in full swing across West Africa, affecting three of the world’s largest producing countries: Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria. The harmattan is a southernly shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) below the main cocoa-growing regions. This pattern is typical for this time of the year as rains become less frequent; dry conditions begin to cause plant stress and growing conditions deteriorate.

Rains have been scant for several weeks, and no substantial precipitation is forecast through January. Farmers are now increasingly anxious that with no timely rains after mid-January, this season’s midcrops could be in jeopardy with drought stress for cocoa trees and negative effects on flowering, pollination, and pod development.

IQ subscribers, log in to read more.

West Africa, percent of normal rainfall (Dec. 19 – Dec. 28)


Source: NOAA, McKeany-Flavell
Posted by: Information Services
Our Information Services team assists our clients with understanding commodity and ingredient market dynamics. Using our extensive database of intelligence, we also produce regular commodity and commercial market publications covering supply and demand fundamentals, news alerts on events that shape the markets, and resource guides to give you a complete picture of the industries we monitor.