Ivory Coast's cocoa grind rose 1.4% year on year in March to 54,241 metric tons of beans, data from exporters' association GEPEX showed on Thursday.
The total grind from the start of the 2025/26 season in October had reached 334,771 tons by the end of March, down 4.8% from the same period last season.
The GEPEX data covers six of the largest grinding companies, including Barry Callebaut SIX:BARN, Olam SGX:VC2 and Cargill Inc.
Ivory Coast has total grinding capacity of about 750,000 tons. It is the world's biggest cocoa producer and vies with the Netherlands for the leading spot for grinding.