OREANDA-NEWS. Raw sugar futures inched lower on Friday, with dealers focused on a likely large delivery against expiry of the ICE March futures contract, while arabica coffee edged up on chart-based buying.

Cocoa futures were little changed, underpinned by expectations of tight supplies from No. 2 grower Ghana.

Raw sugar futures eased in light volumes, with dealers expecting a big delivery against expiry of the March contract, likely to include Brazilian and Central American sugar.

One London-based trade source said the delivery could be around one million tonnes, but that the final tonnage would depend on spreading activity until the end of Friday's session.

The March/May spread widened to a 0.12 cent premium from 0.05 cent on Thursday. "I think it will be a big expiry (delivery)," said James Kirkup, head of sugar at ABM AMRO in London.

ICE May raw sugar futures were down 0.9 percent at 13.87 cents a lb by 1243 GMT, just above Wednesday's session low of 13.75 cents, the lowest level since May 2010, pressured by high stocks, expectations for a big Brazilian crop and a weak Brazilian real currency.

May white sugar futures traded down \$3.60, or 1 percent, at \$372.60 a tonne.

Arabica coffee futures on ICE bounced higher in a technical correction from a one-year low on Thursday.

May arabica coffee futures firmed 2.00 cents, or 1.4 percent, to \$1.4255 per lb, having on Thursday touched \$1.4030, the lowest since February 2014.

May robusta coffee rose rose \$11, or 0.6 percent, to \$1,880 a tonne, having on Thursday tapped \$1,962, the lowest since Jan. 2. May London cocoa traded up 2 pounds, or 0.1 percent, at 2,010 pounds a tonne.

May New York cocoa was also up 0.1 percent, at \$2,984 a tonne.

Ghana, the world's second biggest cocoa producer, is expected to struggle to harvest 800,000 tonnes in 2014-15, Ecobank said in a research note.

This would be below the 850,000 tonnes estimated by the country's cocoa board Cocobod.