LONDON: ICE raw sugar futures eased from near three-month highs in early trading on Wednesday, buoyed by lower-than-expected crush data in top grower Brazil, while arabica coffee was little changed, supported by news that a minor Brazilian coffee region was hit by frost.
Cocoa futures were little changed, with upside weighed by ample supplies from West Africa.
SUGAR
* Sugar futures edged down in light early trade, supported by lower-than-expected crush data in Brazil as dealers expressed concerns over a slow start to the harvest in the centre-south.
* Brazil's centre-south sugarcane crush was down 23 percent in mid-June, compared with a year ago, at 134.6 million tonnes, cane industry association Unica said, releasing a figure that was below expectations.
* Dealers were focused on expiry of the spot July ICE raw sugar futures contract on Thursday.
* ICE October raw sugar futures down 0.04 cent or 0.2 percent to 26.97 cents a lb at 0839 GMT.
* Liffe August white sugar down $7.70 or 1 percent to $757.10 in thin volume of 541 lots.
COFFEE
* ICE arabica coffee futures were little changed, underpinned by reports that frost had reached at least two minor coffee regions in top grower Brazil's Parana state, although it was unlikely to put a major dent in next year's output.
* Concerns over possibly colder conditions in the near future, also supported the market.
* ICE September arabica coffee futures were up 0.45 cent or 0.2 percent to $2.5935 per lb in light volume of 407 lots at 0825 GMT.
* Liffe September robusta coffee futures were up $20 or 0.8 percent to $2,510 per tonne.
COCOA
* ICE cocoa futures firmed, supported by a softer dollar, but ample supplies restricted upside price potential.
* Ivory Coast has shipped half of the roughly 470,000 tonnes of cocoa that had been blocked at the top growers ports by a post election conflict that ended in April, a top official at industry regulator BCC said on Tuesday.
* ICE September cocoa was up $33 or 1.1 percent to $3,056 per tonne in light volume of 1,611 lots at 0834 GMT.
Copyright Reuters, 2011
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