SOFTS-Robusta coffee prices fall 6% on the week, sugar also down

NEW YORK, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Robusta coffee prices closed lower on Friday and posted a 6% weekly loss as recent storm damage to Vietnam's crop was seen as less significant than some had expected, while a record robusta crop in Brazil also weighed on prices.

COFFEE

Robusta coffee LRCc2 settled down $7, or 0.2%, at $4,295 a metric ton.

Dealers noted Brazil's national crop agency Conab had raised its forecast for the country's robusta coffee crop on Thursday to an all-time high of 20.77 million bags, up from a previous projection of 20.05 million.

They also noted that while the robusta harvest in the largest producer Vietnam had been slowed by storms and floods, major crop losses were not expected.

Arabica coffee KCc2 fell 1.5% to $3.7485 per lb.

Brazil exported 212,150 metric tons of green coffee in November, down 25.6% from a year ago, government data showed.

SUGAR

Raw sugar SBc1 ​settled down 0.08 cent, or 0.5%, at 14.80 cents per lb. The market posted a weekly loss of 2.7%.

Top sugar grower Brazil exported 3.3 million tons of sugar in November, the government said, 2.6% less than a year ago, but still a large monthly amount.

Dealers said drier-than-normal weather in Centre-South Brazil was, however, helping to underpin the market and keeping prices above last month's five-year low.

White sugar LSUc1 was little changed at $425.60 a ton.

COCOA

London cocoa LCCc2 settled up 98 pounds, or 2.5%, to 4,057 pounds per ton, to erase the week's losses and end it flat.

Dealers said the strength of sterling against the dollar had weighed on London prices this week.

New York cocoa CCc2 rose 3.8% to $5,696 a ton. The New York market gained 3% in the week.