Cameroon's cocoa grinders purchased 24,855 tonnes of beans by the end of January. This value is down 17 percent on the same stage of last year, according to statistics from the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB) on Thursday.

Sic-Cacaos, a subsidiary of Swiss chocolatier Barry Callebaut, bought 2,235 tonnes in January, having bought none in December. This was an increase from 1,983 tonnes for the same month the previous season.

The business is the leading processor and total purchases since the start of the 2014/15 season on August 1 stand at 23,434 tonnes.

The only other grinder, Chocolaterie Confiserie du Cameroun (CHOCOCAM), an affiliate of South Africa's Tiger Brands, bought 423 tonnes in January, up from 345 tonnes in December.

Purchases for the 2014/15 season hit 1,421 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. However, both companies have declared plans to extend their markets in the coming years, with Sic-Cacaos selling to West Africa and CHOCOCAM to all the countries of the CEMAC sub-region.