*Ivory Coast's cocoa grinders processed 268,000 tonnes of beans between Oct. 1 and March 31, data from exporters' association GEPEX showed on Friday, up from 254,000 tonnes during same period last season.

*Ivory Coast’s 2018/19 Q2 grinding reached 132,388 tonnes, up 1.5 percent year on year from 130,215 tonnes.

*Grinders processed 44,000 tonnes of beans in March, down from 45,000 tonnes during the same month last season.

*The GEPEX data only covers six of the largest grinding companies, including Barry Callebaut, Olam and Cargill, among 12 active firms.

*Ivory Coast is world's top cocoa producer and vies with the Netherlands for the top grinder spot.

*The West African nation has total grinding capacity of 712,000 tonnes, but only ground 505,000 tonnes of beans last season.

(Reporting by Ange Aboa; Editing by Sofia Christensen and Mark Potter)