Prolonged Monsoon hits cocoa production

Continuous rainfall during the South-West Monsoon has affected cocoa production this year. The South-West Monsoon runs from June 1 to September 31.

Suresh Bhandary, Managing Director of the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd, told Business Line that continuous rainfall had affected the flowering in cocoa plantations. In some parts of the growing regions such as Karnataka and Kerala, the rainfall continued till September-end, he said.