OREANDA-NEWS. February 10, 2015. Sugar on ICE rose on Monday on short-covering and spread trading linked to the March contract expiry, while cocoa firmed, underpinned by worries over possible crop damage in parts of Ivory Coast and Ghana after the seasonal Harmattan wind.

Arabica coffee futures fell on chart-based selling, with downside limited by a softer dollar.

ICE March raw sugar futures traded up 0.22 cent, or 1.5 percent, at 14.73 cents per lb at 1509 GMT.

"Activity in sugar is dominated by spreading in the front months - rolling of positions with eyes on the coming expiry of the March contract," said Michael Liddiard of consultancy Agrilion, referring to the index fund roll.

The ICE March raw sugar contract expires on Feb. 27.

Speculators added to a bearish bet in raw sugar contracts on ICE Futures U.S. in the week ended Feb. 3, and they cut their bullish bet in cocoa to a 1-1/2 year low, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data showed on Friday.

"We are getting very technical now as we draw close into the expiry," said Tom Kujawa, co-head of the softs desk at Sucden Financial Sugar.

"We are rangebound and it seems we are destined to continue sideways to lower."

Liddiard referred to market talk that several big cargoes of Guatemalan raw sugar were sold to China recently, with two shipments over 50,000 tonnes fixed last week.

March white sugar futures traded up \\$2.40, or 0.6 percent, at \\$384.20 per tonne.

New York cocoa rose further away from last Monday's one-year low as concerns over West African supplies encouraged buying, traders said.

March New York cocoa on ICE was up \\$51, or 1.8 percent, at \\$2,826 a tonne.

May London cocoa futures traded up 22 pounds, or 1.1 percent, at 1,951 pounds a tonne.

"Short-term indicators suggest the potential for modest gains," said Myrto Sokou, senior research analyst with Sucden Financial.

"Resistance holds near the key level of 2,000 pounds and January's high at 2,028 pounds."

Arabica coffee on ICE fell on chart-based selling, with downside limited by forecasts for dry weather to resume this week in parts of Brazil following below-normal rainfall.

March arabica coffee futures traded down 3.00 cents, or 1.8 percent, at \\$1.6385 per lb.

May robusta coffee was down \\$9, or 0.5 percent, at \\$1,956 a tonne.