Nigeria is expected to have a bumper cocoa harvest in the coming farming season.
According to Sayina Riman, the president of the Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN), forecasts for Nigeria’s output has been put from 300,000 to 320,000 tonnes, a sharp rebound from the season that just ended which was heavily affected by poor weather.
Riman on Monday said that Nigeria should see a bumper harvest as late rains had helped boost pod production.
Nigeria which is the world’s fourth biggest producer has its season running from October to September with an “October to February” main crop short window and an April-May to September mid-crop short window.
“We have late rains which has affected production. We are hoping that from the first week of October, we should be talking of increased yield,” Riman said.
However, the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), gives much lower estimates of Nigerian cocoa output.
It forecasts last season’s production at 220,000 tonnes.
World prices have declined by a third in the last year amid a global supply glut after record production from top growers, Ivory Coast and Ghana.
ICCO predicts a global surplus of 371,000 tonnes for 2016/17.
