Early harvest of Bahia was the lowest in 55 years

With a total of 614,633 bags, or 36,878 tons, the early harvest of cocoa of Bahia was the lowest in 55 years. The State does not amargava a production so low since the disastrous crop of 1962/63. The negative performance made the Bahia lose, for the second consecutive year, the leadership in the production of cocoa beans in the country. In 2016, for the first time in history, the para was consolidated as the largest Brazilian producer and since then occupies the top of the rankings.
In Bahia, the early occurs between the months of May and September. This year, however, the harvest started late and the volume was well below what was expected. One of the reasons for this decrease was drought faced by the region in 2016. Considered the worst of the last 30 years, the prolonged drought has left severe sequelae in crops. About 25% of the cocoa trees died. And plants that survive need time to regain your ideal physiological state, until return to produce normally.
This recovery depends on climatic conditions and, fortunately, the rains have been falling in abundance, recomposing the water tables throughout the region South of Bahia. If the weather remains stable, it is likely that next year things are normalized.