SOFTS-Cocoa hits one-month high ahead of index entry

LONDON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Cocoa futures on the ICE exchange hit one-month highs on Wednesday amid market chatter that the contracts' inclusion in a major commodities index next year will boost prices.

COCOA

New York cocoa CCc2 ​settled $339, or 5.8%, higher at $6,221 a metric ton, having hit a one-month high of $6,300.

Dealers cited talks that New York cocoa's inclusion in the Bloomberg Commodity Index (BCOM) next year will initially result in about 30,000-35,000 lots of buying.

They explained the funds who will trade cocoa within the BCOM are believed to be largely long-only funds. A long position is essentially a bet on price gains.

London cocoa LCCc2 ​rose 5.6% to 4,492 pounds per ton, having hit a one-month high of 4,549 pounds.

COFFEE

Robusta coffee LRCc2 settled $29, or 0.7%, higher at $4,138 a ton, after setting a 2-1/2-month low of $4,046.

"Vietnam's coffee harvest is showing remarkable resilience. Amidst rain-driven delays and labour tightness, the crop outlook remains positive, with production increases expected and quality indicators trending upward," said a dealer.

Arabica coffee KCc2 rose 1% to $3.723 per lb, after hitting a two-week low on Monday.

Brazil's green coffee exports fell 27% in November from a year ago, said industry group Cecafe, blaming a limited crop, port congestion and the lagging impact from U.S. tariffs.

Dealers, however, noted rains have been good so far this season in Brazil and soil moisture levels bode well for the upcoming 2026/27 crop.

SUGAR

Raw sugar SBc1 ​​settled 0.24 cents, or 1.6%, higher at 14.91 cents per lb, having hit a nearly four-week low on Tuesday.

Cane farmers in Thailand, the world's second-largest sugar exporter after Brazil, are switching to cassava as prices plunge and fields in some parts of the country face a disease outbreak, analyst Green Pool said.

White sugar LSUc1 rose 1.7% at $426.10 a ton.