Ivory Coast cocoa grind up 8.3% in January, say exporters

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Ivory Coast cocoa grinders had processed 199,000 tonnes of beans by the end of January, up from 191,000 tonnes over the same period last season, data from the exporters' association GEPEX showed on Friday.

Cocoa grind reached 52,000 tonnes in January compared with 48,000 tonnes during the same period last season.

This is the first time since 2012 that monthly grinding has reached this level in Ivory Coast, beating the recent record of 49,000 tonnes reached in November 2019 and December 2020.

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

Ivory Coast has a total grinding capacity of 712,000 tonnes. It is the world's top cocoa producer and vies with the Netherlands for the spot of leading grinder.

(Reporting by Ange Aboa; Editing by Nellie Peyton)