Cameroon's local cocoa grinders purchased 30,820 tonnes of cocoa beans for local grinding by the end of May, up slightly from 29,205 tonnes in the same period last season, National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB) data showed on Thursday.

Purchases by leading grinder Sic-Cacaos, a subsidiary of Swiss chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut, stood at 30,025 tonnes by the end of May since the start of the 2013/14 season in August, up from 27,203 tonnes in the same period the previous season, the data showed.

Sic-Cacaos bought 521 tonnes for the month of May, up from zero for the two previous months and from 467 tonnes in the same month a year ago.

Chocolaterie Confiserie du Cameroun (CHOCOCAM), the second-biggest grinder, has made no purchase since February, the data showed. Its total since the start of the season stands at 795 tonnes.

Sic-Cacaos processes raw cocoa beans into cocoa powder, cocoa cake and cocoa liquor which are sold in the six nations of the CEMAC sub-region, while CHOCOCAM, an affiliate of South Africa's Tiger Brand, manufactures chocolate sold in Cameroon.