Ivorian cocoa growers say drought worst in memory

DALOA, March 16 (Reuters) - A harsh spell of dry weather in Ivory Coast's central Daloa region which has lasted several months is the worst in living memory and is killing off young cocoa trees, farmers and cooperatives said on Friday.

Rains have scarcely fallen in the major cocoa producing region since late November, apart from a short but heavy downpour in early February.

Farmers in the world's top cocoa exporter said they expected to harvest far less than usual during the coming April-September mid crop, the smaller of the two six-month growing cycles.

"It's a complete failure. There will be no mid crop on my farm," said Lambert N'Dri, 47, picking up dry, shrivelled pods from the trees as he walked through his 10-year-old, three-hectare plantation.

The few tiny flowers visible on his trees -- which normally herald the growth of pods -- fell from the branches when touched. Many of his trees were bare while others had a small number of medium-sized green pods.

N'Dri, who was born in Daloa, said he had never seen such a harsh, long-lasting spell of dry weather.

A manager at the local cooperative Kavokiva said it reminded him of a 1983 drought which caused months of power cuts because of a lack of water for hydro-electric dams.

Exporters have estimated output for this year's mid crop possibly as low as 200,000 tonnes, far below last year's big harvest of more than 400,000 tonnes.

Farmer Cesar Yoboue, 33, was less fortunate than N'Dri. His plantation with younger, more vulnerable trees planted between three and five years ago bore little resemblance to a cocoa farm, with leaves drooping and almost no pods.

"When it doesn't rain the young trees die because they don't have deep roots," he said, explaining that older trees could source moisture from deeper in the ground to sustain them for longer.

The paper-dry brown leaves carpeting the ground crackled as he walked around and turned to flakes when handled.

"There are cocoa trees that I will have to replace now," he said, yanking a tall but thin sapling from the ground and tossing it aside.

East Coast expects major winter storm

A major storm is expected to hit the East Coast on Friday, with heavy rain forecast for areas of the Mid-Atlantic region that could lead to flooding.
The National Weather Service is forecasting heavy snow from northeastern New Jersey through southern New England, with more than a foot expected in some inland areas.

Temperatures in the Southeast are expected to be cool but remain above freezing. Most of the West will enjoy clear skies, but parts of the Northwest are expected to get rain.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Thursday ranged from a low of 0 degrees at Grand Marais, Minn., to a high of 99 degrees at Death Valley, Calif.