Cocoa grinder purchases fall by 16%

Cameroon's cocoa grinders purchased 25,370 tonnes of beans by the end of February, down from 30,299 tonnes in the same period of the previous season, according to data from the National Cocoa and Coffee Board on Wednesday (NCCB).

The main grinding company Sic-Cacaos, a subsidiary of Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut, bought only 335 tonnes in February, against 2,235 tonnes in January. This was down slightly from 361 tonnes in the same month a year ago.

Sic-Cacaos' purchases since the start of the 2014/15 season on Aug. 1 total 23,769 tonnes.

Cameroon's only other grinder, Chocolaterie Confiserie du Cameroun (CHOCOCAM), an affiliate of South Africa's Tiger Brands , bought 180 tonnes in February, down from 423 tonnes in January.

Its total purchases since the start of the season are 1,601 tonnes.

Sic-Cacaos processes raw cocoa beans into cocoa powder, cocoa cake and cocoa liquor. The products are sold in the six-nation CEMAC bloc, which also includes Central African Republic, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

CHOCOCAM sells its products only in Cameroon.