ABIDJAN, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Rainfall was below average last week in most of Ivory Coast's cocoa-growing regions but soil moisture remained adequate for the development of the cocoa mid-crop, farmers said on Monday.
Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, is in its dry season which runs from mid-November to March.
The seasonal Harmattan wind has arrived in some regions but is mild, farmers said. The dry wind blows from the Sahara Desert each year for a variable period between December and March.
Farmers said the weather posed no risk to the main crop, with plenty of pods ready to be harvested from now through late January.
However, if the Harmattan wind becomes stronger it could damage the early growth of the April-to-September mid-crop, they added.
"The harmattan is here. Farmers are scared that it will get strong because it could dry out the flowers and small pods," said Leon N'Da, who farms near the central region of Yamoussoukro, where 0.5 millimetres (mm) of rain fell last week, 3 mm below the five-year average.
Similar comments were reported in the centre-western region of Daloa and in the central region of Bongouanou, where rains were below average.
No Harmattan wind was reported in the western region of Soubre, in the southern regions of Agboville and Divo and in the eastern region of Abengourou, where rains were also below average.
"The mid-crop is starting to develop well and farmers are still harvesting lots of beans," said Salame Kone, who farms near Soubre, where 2.2 mm of rain fell last week, 8.6 mm below the average.
Average temperatures in Ivory Coast ranged from 26.7 to 29 degrees Celsius last week. (Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Editing by Nellie Peyton and Susan Fenton)
