Cameroon's cocoa grinders bought only 1,946 tonnes of cocoa beans in August, the first month of the 2014/2015 season, down from 2,562 tonnes last year, the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB) said on Wednesday.

Only Sic-Cacaos, a subsidiary of Swiss chocolatier Barry Callebaut, bought beans in August.

The country's only other grinder is Chocolaterie Confiserie du Cameroun (CHOCOCAM), an affiliate of South Africa's Tiger Brands.

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.