North American First Quarter Cocoa Grind Shows Weakest Start In Seven Years

TORONTO – North American cocoa grindings fell in the first quarter of 2018, marking the region’s weakest start to the calendar year since 2011, data from the National Confectioners Association (NCA) showed on Thursday.

Cocoa grinders in the United States, Canada and Mexico reported processing 118,778 tonnes in the first three months of the year, down 1.14 percent from the same period a year earlier. This is, however, up 2.3 percent from the fourth quarter of 2017, NCA data show.

The first-quarter cocoa grind was at the low end of expectations that ranged widely from 1.5 percent below to 2 percent above the first quarter 2017.

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