Cocoa grinder purchases reach 22,197 T by end-December

Cameroon's cocoa grinders purchased 22,197 tonnes of beans by the end of December, down from 27,854 tonnes in the same period in the previous season, according to statistics from the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB) seen on Thursday.

Leading processor Sic-Cacaos, a subsidiary of Swiss chocolatier Barry Callebaut, made no purchases in December. Its total purchase since the start of the 2014/15 season on Aug. 1 stand at 21,199 tonnes.

The country's only other grinder, Chocolaterie Confiserie du Cameroun (CHOCOCAM), an affiliate of South Africa's Tiger Brands , purchased 345 tonnes in December, bringing its total for the season to 998 tonnes of beans.

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.

Both companies have announced plans to extend their markets - Sic-Cacaos to West Africa and CHOCOCAM to the entire CEMAC sub-region - in the coming years.