Provisional port statistics in Côte d'Ivoire for the first nine months of the year, published yesterday, reveal mixed performance. There is an increase in exports of natural rubber and semi-finished cocoa products, while exports of cotton, coffee beans and raw cocoa beans fall, reports Reuters.

In the first nine months of 2020, exports of natural rubber from Africa's top producer reached 843,913 tonnes (t), up 40% from the same first nine months of last year. An increase which is explained by the promise of more stable incomes for producers who turn more to rubber than to cocoa.

The same is true for exports of semi-finished cocoa products from Côte d'Ivoire, the world's largest producer, which increased by 1% during the season (from October to September) and reached 446,568 t.

On the other hand, cotton exports fell to 215,526 t, a decrease of 36.2% compared to the previous year. Please note that these figures may be subject to revision.

This trend is also confirmed for exports of coffee beans (Robusta), whose exports fell by 28% in January-September compared to the previous year and amounted to 55,530 tonnes.

The same is true for raw cocoa beans, which ended down 1.4%, at 1,567,446 tonnes over the entire 2019/20 campaign, compared to the 2018/19 campaign. Remember that the marketing of cocoa extends from October to September. It should be noted that the August figures for the port of Abidjan have been significantly reassessed, going from 3,912 t to 8,917 t, while the September figures are provisional, as already underlined.