Ghana's 2001/02 cocoa main crop looks set to beat last season's of around 360,000 tonnes, farmers said in the main growing region of the world's second biggest producer.

Farmers said the West African country's main crop, harvested between early October and mid-April, had been helped by good rainfall.

"There is every indication that the coming crop will be better than last season," one farmer told Reuters in the western region on Wednesday.

"We had a lot of beans spoil from the last main crop, but that won't happen this time because the plants have had enough chemicals and very generous rains."

British trade house ED & F Man estimated Ghanaian production at 450,000 tonnes for the 2001/02 year against 395,000 in 2000/01 in a cocoa market report published on Tuesday.

"I harvested just 10 bags last season, but I am expecting more than 20 bags of cocoa this season," another farmer said.

With constant rain, farmers and buyers said they were afraid there might be too much moisture to dry the beans well, putting quality at risk.

A senior official of the Produce Buying Company, which buys almost 30 percent of Ghana's crop, said that because of the rains, beans from the April to September mid crop were still being held at upcountry depots.

"The rains must stop to allow for proper drying of beans," said one buyer.

Some industry analysts caution that Ghana's liberalisation of the sector poses a threat to quality because nearly 30 buying companies were competing for beans and might pay less attention to quality.

Crop analysts say that although there could be a bumper start to the main crop, it is likely to tail off rapidly because there is a lack of flowers to replace the first pods to be harvested.

It takes five-and-a-half months for a cocoa pod to mature after the pollination of the flower.

"The season might even close earlier than it should due to inadequate flowers," one analyst said.

Neighbouring Ivory Coast is the world's biggest cocoa producer, accounting for about 40 percent of world output with a crop of around 1.2 million tonnes.