OREANDA-NEWS. February 11, 2015. Raw sugar futures on ICE dipped on Tuesday on spread trading ahead of the March contract's expiry, while New York arabica coffee and cocoa eased under pressure from a stronger dollar.

ICE March raw sugar futures traded down 0.06 cent, or 0.4 percent, at 14.76 cents per lb at 1228 GMT.

The March/May spread rose to a 0.09 cent premium, the highest since November 2013, up from a 0.06 cent discount at Friday's settlement, on perceptions of tight nearby supplies.

The spread trading boosted volume as index funds rolled over positions, traders said. The March contract expires on Feb. 27.

"March is trading over May due to limited availability of raws for prompt shipment," said Tracey Allen, commodities analyst with Rabobank.

Market talk of Chinese buying of Central American sugar helped underpinned prices.

March white sugar futures slipped 0.6 percent, or \\$2.30 to \\$384.50 per tonne on light, chart-based dealings pressued by a stronger dollar. The March white sugar futures contract expires on Friday.

"Talk around the market is that only a small quantity (under 100,000 tonnes) of Central American whites is potentially deliverable," said Nick Penney, senior trader with Sucden Financial Sugar.

Most-active May New York cocoa on ICE traded down \\$20, or 0.7 percent, at \\$2,846 a tonne, pressured by weak demand prospects after worse than expected grindings data from Europe, North America and Asia.

"A resumption of losses in breach of \\$2,800 could see further moves on the downside test levels towards the 10-day moving average at \\$2,737 while protracted declines would look to test tentative support around \\$2,700," said Kash Kamal, research analyst with Sucden Financial.

May London cocoa futures were down 19 pounds, or 1 percent, at 1,958 pounds a tonne.

Arabica coffee edged lower, under pressure from the stronger dollar. A firmer greenback makes dollar-denominated commodities more expensive in terms of other currencies.

"I don't think the nearby weather forecasts in Brazil are a concern for the market," said Carlos Mera, commodities analyst with Rabobank, referring to expectations for a mixture of dry days and showers in coffee growing areas.

He said he expected Brazilian producer selling to slow down ahead of Carnival in Brazil later this month.

March arabica coffee futures were down 2.1 cent, or 1.3 percent, at \\$1.655 per lb. May robusta coffee traded up \\$6, or 0.3 percent, at \\$1,983 a tonne.