LONDON: New York cocoa futures fell to their lowest in nearly six weeks on Friday as a generally favourable outlook for harvests in West Africa exerted downward pressure on prices.
COCOA
* March New York cocoa was down $14, or 0.65 percent, at $2,131 a tonne by 1235 GMT after dipping to a low of $2,124, the weakest for the second position since Oct. 15.
* Dealers said a strong start to main crops in West Africa had led some to expect there could be a small global surplus in the 2018/19 season and put the market on the defensive.
* Cocoa arrivals at ports in top grower Ivory Coast have been running well above levels at the same time last year.
* "With good, strong (port) arrivals coming through, prospects are looking reasonably good," one dealer said.
* Dealers said, however, that currency fluctuations could play a major short-term role in market trends, with sterling likely to be volatile as Britain seeks to agree terms under which it will leave the European Union.
* March London cocoa fell 13 pounds, or 0.8 percent, to 1,583 pounds a tonne.
COFFEE
* January robusta coffee rose $6, or 0.4 percent, to $1,616 a tonne as dealers kept a close watch on the progress of tropical storm Usagi.
* Top robusta producer Vietnam's continuing coffee harvest is under threat from Usagi, which is heading from the South China Sea towards the Southeast Asian country's Central Highlands coffee-growing region.
* March arabica coffee fell 0.7 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $1.1340 per lb, pressured by weakness of the Brazilian real on Thursday when US-based markets were shut for the Thanksgiving holiday.
SUGAR
* March raw sugar was off 0.11 cents, or 0.9 percent, at 12.57 cents per lb.
* Brazil's weakening real also contributed to losses in the sugar market.
* March white sugar rose $1.10, or 0.3 percent, to $340.70 a tonne.
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