More Rain Needed to Boost Ivory Coast Cocoa Crop

Farmers work at a farm in Sinfra, Ivory Coast April 29, 2023. REUTERS/Luc Gnago/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Farmers work at a farm in Sinfra, Ivory Coast April 29, 2023. REUTERS/Luc Gnago/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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More Rain Needed to Boost Ivory Coast Cocoa Crop

Farmers work at a farm in Sinfra, Ivory Coast April 29, 2023. REUTERS/Luc Gnago/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Farmers work at a farm in Sinfra, Ivory Coast April 29, 2023. REUTERS/Luc Gnago/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Following below average rain last week in most of Ivory Coast's main cocoa regions, more downpours are needed throughout the month to ensure the April-to-September mid-crop finishes on a strong note, farmers said on Monday.

The world's top cocoa producer is in its rainy season, which runs officially from April to mid-November. Rains are usually abundant during this period, Reuters reported.

Farmers across the West African country said the weather during this month would be crucial in determining the final size of the mid-crop.

They said plantations would not only need abundant rain throughout June, but also more sunny spells to help fight diseases and insects, which can be triggered by humid weather.

Several farmers said the amount of beans from the bush was rising.

They said they were expecting abundant downpours from this week as the sky was cloudy.

"We need a lot of rain and sunshine this month for the mid-crop to finish well," said Remi Alloba, who farms near the western region of Soubre, where 27.2 millimetres (mm) fell last week, 15.3 mm below the five-year average.

Similar comments were made by farmers in the southern regions of Agboville and Divo, and in the eastern region of Abengourou. They said plenty of fruits were developing on the trees for the last stage of the mid-crop.

In the centre-western region of Daloa and in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rain was below average, farmers said they expected abundant rain from this week.

"The weather is very cloudy and it is hot; we feel it is going to rain a lot. It will be good for the trees," said Esmel Kanga, who farms near the centre-western region of Daloa, where 10.9 mm fell last week, 12.9 mm below the average.

The weekly average temperature ranged from 27.1 to 30.4 degrees Celsius.



Heatwaves in Spain Caused 1,180 Deaths in Past Two Months, Ministry Says

The most affected regions were Galicia, La Rioja, Asturias and Cantabria. (Getty Images/AFP)
The most affected regions were Galicia, La Rioja, Asturias and Cantabria. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Heatwaves in Spain Caused 1,180 Deaths in Past Two Months, Ministry Says

The most affected regions were Galicia, La Rioja, Asturias and Cantabria. (Getty Images/AFP)
The most affected regions were Galicia, La Rioja, Asturias and Cantabria. (Getty Images/AFP)

High temperatures caused 1,180 deaths in Spain in the past two months, a sharp increase from the same period last year, the Environment Ministry said on Monday.

The vast majority of people who died were over 65 and more than half were women, the data it cited showed.

The most affected regions were Galicia, La Rioja, Asturias and Cantabria - all located in the northern half of the country, where traditionally cooler summer temperatures have seen a significant rise in recent years.

Like other countries in Western Europe, Spain has been hit by extreme heat in recent weeks, with temperatures often topping 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

The 1,180 people who died of heat-related causes between May 16 and July 13 compared with 114 in the same period in 2024, the ministry said in a statement citing data from the Carlos III Health Institute. The number of deaths increased significantly in the first week of July.

The data shows an event "of exceptional intensity, characterized by an unprecedented increase in average temperatures and a significant increase in mortality attributable to heatwaves", the ministry said.

In the period the data covers, there were 76 red alerts for extreme heat, compared with none a year earlier.

Last summer, 2,191 deaths were attributed to heat-related causes in Spain, according to data from the Carlos III Health Institute.

The data from Spain follows a rapid scientific analysis published on July 9 that said around 2,300 people died of heat-related causes across 12 European cities during a severe heatwave in the 10 days to July 2.

It was not immediately clear whether the study conducted by scientists at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine was using the same methodology as the Spanish data.