More white sugar from India was being offered in the physical market, but its quality could be a concern, while premiums for Thai sweetener slipped after recent rallies on London futures, dealers said on Thursday. The damage caused by rains in Australia's cane areas could underpin sentiment after trade group Canegrowers said 18 percent of the 2010 sugar crop has been left unharvested due to heavy rains.
But there were no reports of delays in sugar shipments from Australia so far. Its biggest exporter, Queensland Sugar Ltd (QSL), plans to acquire more raws from Brazil and Thailand to meet export commitments. Premiums for Thai raw sugar varied from as low as 80 points over New York futures to as high as 130 points for the high polarisation variety for March-April shipment, suggesting that trading was illiquid ahead of the year end. Indian whites were offered at $40 premiums last week.