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Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Cold weather and scant rains worry Ivory Coast cocoa farmers
ABIDJAN, Aug 4 (Reuters) - A persistent cold spell across most of Ivory Coast's cocoa-growing regions could jeopardize the development of the next October-to-March main crop, farmers warned on Monday, saying plantations need more sunshine and rain. The world's largest cocoa producer is in the middle of the rainy season, which runs officially from April to mid-November. Rains are typically abundant during this period, but last week were well below average. Farmers told Reuters the crop was developing well at the moment, cautioning that cold weather could prevent trees from reaching their maximum potential. Growers said there was a good mix of small, average and big, almost ripe pods on trees. In some regions, farmers said bean supply was very tight, but that availability would rise from mid-August. Without more rainfall and sunshine in the coming weeks, farmers said some young pods, known as cherelles, could fall from branches, affecting the crop outlook. "Plantations need more rain and sunshine," said Kouassi Kouame, who farms near the western region of Soubre, where just 1.6 millimetres (mm) of rain fell last week, 10.4 mm below the five-year average. Similar comments were reported in the southern regions of Agboville and Divo, and in the eastern region of Abengourou, where rains were well below average. Farmers there said in the next two weeks they were expecting more rain and sunshine that would boost the crop. In the west-central region of Daloa, in the central regions of Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro, where rains were also well below average, farmers said the crop was developing well for now. Farmers added that some growers had started to stockpile the few harvested beans they had, hoping to hold onto them until early October when a new marketing price will be set. They expect the price to be significantly higher than the current 2,200 CFA francs ($3.90) per kg. Farmers said the government would opt for a big price hike in order to encourage growers to vote for it in October's presidential election. "The quantities coming from the bush will increase this month. But very few farmers will want to sell," said Celestin Goli, who farms near Daloa, where 3.4 mm of rain fell last week, 16.1 mm below the average. Weekly average temperatures across Ivory Coast last week ranged from 24.3 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit) to 27.9 C (82 F). ($1 = 564.0000 CFA francs)
Reuters
8 hours ago
- Reuters
Beijing evacuates residents, expands storm alert as deadly floods keep city on edge
BEIJING, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Beijing had evacuated more than 70,000 residents by Monday afternoon and warned others to brace for a new round of heavy rainfall, a week after catastrophic floods killed dozens in the deadliest deluge to hit the Chinese capital since 2012. Up to 200mm (7.9 inches) of rain could hit parts of Beijing over a six-hour period from midday, weather forecasters warned. The city of 22 million people receives on average 600mm of rainfall each year. The warning comes as authorities rush to reinforce ageing flood defences, fine-tune weather forecasts and update evacuation plans amid reports of bodies being pulled from raging flood waters across the country, including at least three at a wellness camp in Hebei province. At least 44 people died in Beijing after heavy rains from July 23 to 29. Most of the dead were people unexpectedly trapped by rapidly rising waters at a nursing home in Miyun district on the city's northeastern outskirts. The fatalities led authorities to admit to shortcomings in their contingency plans for extreme weather. By noon on Monday, Beijing had placed all of its 16 districts on the highest level of preparedness, in the first citywide state of readiness since July 28, shutting parts of the Great Wall and other outdoor leisure venues and halting operations of below-ground businesses. The risk of flash floods and landslides is "extremely high", authorities said. By 2 p.m. (0600 GMT), the capital had relocated more than 70,000 residents - nearly 14,000 of them from the hilly Mentougou district in the city's west, the state broadcaster reported. In the summer of 2012, 79 people died in Beijing in the city's deadliest flooding in living memory, with the Fangshan district the worst-hit. Beijing's topography has been described by some as a rain "trap", with its mountains to the west and north capturing moist air and amplifying any ensuing rainfall as a result. As of Saturday, torrential rains that swept through "Beijing Valley", a riverside wellness retreat in the Hebei city of Chengde adjacent to Beijing, had claimed three lives, with four still missing, China's state news agency Xinhua reported. Around 40 people had gathered on July 27 for an event at the site, where organisers directed them into tents pitched on low-lying land next to a river bend, Caixin Media reported. By 2 a.m. the next morning, floodwaters had risen to knee height, forcing attendees to scramble towards the camp's only exit. The site bore similarities to Camp Mystic in Texas, where at least 28 children were swept to their deaths last month by floodwaters after the Guadalupe River burst its banks amid torrential rain. In China's southern Guangdong province over the weekend, the bodies of five people were recovered after a large-scale search operation involving more than 1,300 rescuers. The five people, who went missing on Friday night, were swept away by water following heavy rainfall in recent days, Xinhua reported on Sunday.
Reuters
13 hours ago
- Reuters
Beijing expands storm alert as fatal floods keep city on edge
BEIJING, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Beijing on Monday warned residents in all city districts to brace for a new round of heavy rainfall, telling them to avoid going out, a week after catastrophic floods killed dozens in the deadliest deluge to hit the Chinese capital since 2012. Up to 200mm (7.9 inches) of rain could hit parts of Beijing over a six-hour period from midday, weather forecasters warned. The city of 22 million people receives on average 600mm of rainfall each year. The warning comes as authorities rush to reinforce ageing flood defences, fine-tune weather forecasts and update evacuation plans amid reports of bodies being pulled from raging flood waters across the country, including at least three at a flooded wellness camp in Hebei province. At least 44 people died in Beijing after heavy rains from July 23 to 29. Most of the dead were people unexpectedly trapped by rapidly rising waters at a nursing home in Miyun district on the city's northeastern outskirts. The fatalities led authorities to admit to shortcomings in their contingency plans for extreme weather. By noon on Monday, Beijing had placed all of its 16 districts on the highest level of preparedness, in the first citywide state of readiness since July 28, shutting parts of the Great Wall and other outdoor leisure venues and halting operations of below-ground businesses. The risk of flash floods and landslides is "extremely high", authorities said. In the summer of 2012, 79 people died in Beijing in the city's deadliest flooding in living memory. Fangshan district was the worst-hit, with one resident reporting a rise in floodwaters, opens new tab of 1.3 metres in just 10 minutes. Beijing's topography has been described by some as a rain "trap", with its mountains to the west and north capturing moist air and amplifying any ensuing rainfall as a result. As of Saturday, torrential rains that swept through "Beijing Valley", a riverside wellness retreat in the Hebei city of Chengde adjacent to Beijing, had claimed three lives, with four still missing, China's state news agency Xinhua reported. Around 40 people had gathered on July 27 for an event at the site, where organisers directed them into tents pitched on low-lying land next to a river bend, Caixin Media reported. By 2 a.m. the next morning, floodwaters had risen to knee height, forcing attendees to scramble towards the camp's only exit. The site bore similarities to Camp Mystic in Texas, where at least 28 children were swept to their deaths last month by floodwaters after the Guadalupe River burst its banks amid torrential rain. In China's southern Guangdong province over the weekend, the bodies of five people were recovered after a large-scale search operation involving more than 1,300 rescuers. The five people, who went missing on Friday night, were "swept away by water" following heavy rainfall in recent days, Xinhua reported on Sunday.
