ACCRA (Reuters) -Cocoa farmers in the world's second-biggest producer Ghana are expecting a bumper harvest for the upcoming 2025/2026 season, buoyed by improved flowering and pod development, even as they grapple with persistent challenges in input supplies and erratic weather.

The West African country has seen output fall in previous seasons due to reasons, including diseases, climate change and rampant illegal gold mining, which destroys cocoa plantations and reduces yields.

However, growers are cautiously optimistic about the next season, saying better weather conditions and a decline in diseases should help increase production.

"Farmers who have dedicated time to their cocoa farms will definitely see a bumper harvest this season," said Theophilus Tamakloe, cocoa farmer and vice president of a national farmers' association.

"We are witnessing significant improvement compared to last year in terms of flowers, pods, and leaf health," Tamakloe, who farms in Ghana's Assin North district, added.

Tamakloe is projecting an increase from 230 bags of cocoa last season to 350 bags for the upcoming harvest. But he warned that excessive rainfall and a lack of timely fungicide distribution from Ghana's cocoa regulator, COCOBOD, could undermine yields.

Another farmer, Salomey Saah, echoed Tamakloe's optimism but shared similar concerns about pest control in an interview with Reuters.

"This year, I approached my cocoa farm as a business, and I have seen tremendous improvement. I'm targeting about 2,000 bags, up from the 1,000 bags I harvested in the 2024/2025 season," said Saah, who farms in the central-western Tano district.

However, she cautioned that without pesticides, insects could destroy all the crops just within three days.

Kwame Alex, who became the National Best Cocoa Farmer in 2024, produced over 2,000 bags last season. Alex is even more ambitious, aiming to reach 3,000 bags next season, he told Reuters.

COCOBOD did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The regulator has not yet announced a production target for the new season which will open in August.

Data from COCOBOD showed in May that Ghana was likely to miss its output target of 650,000 metric tons of the 2024/2025 season.

The West African country's output is expected to plunge to just 590,000 tons this season.

Ghana and neighbouring Ivory Coast, which together account for over 60% of global cocoa production, have been facing their worst harvests in decades.