LONDON: Arabica coffee futures on ICE fell on Friday and were set for a steep weekly loss, with forecasts for rain in parts of Brazil’s coffee belt improving the outlook for the key flowering period in the world’s top producer.
Coffee
Arabica coffee fell 1.8% to $3.5475 per lb by 1125 GMT and was on track for a weekly loss of 11%.
Dealers said the market had been pressured by funds’ long liquidation against the backdrop of an improving crop outlook in Brazil.
The market was also keeping a close watch on whether a 50% tariff on U.S. imports of coffee from Brazil would be maintained. The tariff has tightened supplies within the U.S. and driven up prices in the world’s biggest consumer of the commodity.
U.S. Representatives Don Bacon and Ro Khanna plan to introduce bipartisan legislation that would exempt coffee products from any tariffs imposed after January 19, 2025, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing a copy of the draft legislation.
Robusta coffee lost 3.15% to $4,307 a metric ton.
Sugar
Raw sugar rose 1.5% to 15.61 cents per lb but was still set for a modest weekly loss of 1.1%.
Dealers’ supplies are ample, with Brazilian mills opting where possible to use cane to produce the sweetener rather than biofuel ethanol.
Favourable cane crop prospects for Asian producers including India and Thailand have also put the market on the defensive.
White sugar was up 1.45% at $461.20 a ton.
India’s sugar exports are likely to fall below 800,000 tons this season, missing a 1 million-ton quota, as rising Brazilian supplies push global prices lower and undercut Indian shipments, trade and government officials said.
Cocoa
London cocoa gained 0.3% to 5,027 pounds a ton but was on track for a weekly loss of 1.5%.
New York cocoa was up 0.1% at $7,215 a ton.
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