New policies aimed at "modernising agriculture" and "making it more competitive" are bearing fruit and at the same time providing a bigger income for farmers, said Siaka Coulibaly, the chief of staff to the agriculture minister.
At the beginning of October the government proudly announced a record cocoa crop for a market that has been boosted by growing demand for chocolate in Asia. Ivory Coast is the top producer with 35 per cent of global cocoa output.
Cocoa planters have benefited from consistently favourable weather on top of gains from the planting in recent years of a new variety of cocoa tree, known as Mercedes, which offers a yield between twice and three times as high as that of old weary trees., noted Edouard N'Guessan, director general of the national Coffee and Cocoa Council.
Government spokesman Bruno Kone was already looking forward to promising results in the coming season, 2014-2015.
In the cashew nut sector, the harvest has far exceeded the primary objective of "preventing the deforestation of desert areas", according to Malamine Sanogo, who is in charge of production nationwide.
Ivory Coast has in 2014 even seen a record crop of cotton, totalling 400,000 tonnes, which is twice the output achieved five years ago, but the country remains a minor player in this sector compared with others.
The sole dark patch in a glowing picture arises from sluggish coffee production of 100-120,000 tonnes, an amount four times lower than in the 1990s, when Ivory Coast ranked third among global producers.