SOFTS-Robusta coffee prices ease, focus on Vietnam harvest

LONDON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Robusta coffee futures eased on Wednesday as the focus remained on whether recent storms and flooding in top producer Vietnam have dented the harvest outlook.

COFFEE

Robusta coffee LRCc1 lost 0.3% to $4,337 a metric ton by 1623 GMT.

Dealers said storms had delayed the harvest in Vietnam and led to cherries falling from trees. Some maintained that the harvest outlook remained favourable although others saw the storms reducing production by around 5% to 10%.

Arabica coffee KCc2 edged up 0.1% to $3.7380 per lb.

Shipments from Brazil to the U.S. have been slow to pick up despite the removal of tariffs although volumes should start to increase early next year.

SUGAR

Raw sugar SBc1 gained 0.3% to 15.02 cents per lb.

Speculators trimmed a net short position in raw sugar in the week to October 21, data issued by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed.

White sugar LSUc1 fell 0.4% to $427.70 per ton.

France's 2025/26 sugar beet crop is expected to reach about 36 million metric tons, up from 32.8 million last season, with improved yields offsetting a decrease in the planted area, growers group CGB said on Wednesday.

COCOA

London cocoa LCCc2 fell 0.7% to 4,006 pounds per ton, weighed partly by a rise in the value of the pound to a five-week high against the dollar.

Dealers said the flow of beans to ports in Ivory Coast had picked up during the last few weeks but the outlook for the tail end of the main crop appears uncertain with some expecting a decline between January and March 2026.

The Ivory Coast cocoa regulator has restricted the issuance of transport permits for cocoa beans to the ports of Abidjan and San Pedro to alleviate congestion and ensure farmers receive the guaranteed farmgate price, its managing director said.

New York cocoa CCc2 was up 0.7% to $5,494 a ton.