SOFTS-Cocoa prices ease while sugar and Arabica coffee climb

(Updates with closing prices) Oct 20 (Reuters) – Cocoa futures on ICE declined on Monday, slipping back towards a more than 1-1/2 year low set a week ago, while sugar and Arabica coffee prices rose. COCOA * London cocoa ​​settled down 25 pounds, or 0.6%, to 4,136 pounds per ton​. The market slumped to a more than 1-1/2-year low of 4,029 pounds on October 13. * Dealers said third-quarter cocoa grind data, issued last week, had provided some support for prices. * "The final quarterly demand side data arrived for the 2024/25 marketing year, and the third-quarter grind was generally better than expected – albeit still historically weak and showing immense disparity across the regions," J.P. Morgan said in a note. * The North American Q3 cocoa grind rose 3.2%, year-on-year, but there were declines in Europe (4.8%) and Asia (17.1%). * New York cocoa ​​settled up $4, or 0.1%, to $5,899 a ton. * Cocoa arrivals at ports in top grower Ivory Coast reached 132,000 metric tons by October 19 since the start of the season on October 1, down 31.6% from the same period last season, exporters estimated on Monday. COFFEE * Arabica coffee settled up 8.6 cents, or 2.2%, at $4.0605 per lb​​, boosted by falling exchange stocks. * Dealers noted that ICE-certified stocks stood at 467,110 bags, as of October 17, down 26,673 bags from a day earlier, as they continued to steadily decline. A month earlier they stood at 659,949 bags. * The market was also keeping a close watch on the progress in trade negotiations between Brazil and the U.S. with both sides agreeing last week to work to schedule a meeting between President Donald Trump and his counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva "at the earliest possible occasion". * Any reduction in the 50% U.S. tariff on Brazilian imports, including coffee, would be seen as bearish for prices. * Robusta coffee settled down $14, or 0.3%, at $4,464 a ton. SUGAR * Raw sugar ​​settled up 0.22 cents, or 1.4%, at 15.72 cents per lb​​. * China's sugar imports in September totalled 550,000 metric tons, up 35.8%, year-on-year, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on Saturday. * White sugar ​​settled up $7.90, or 1.8%, at $446.90 a ton. (Reporting by Nicole Jao and Nigel Hunt; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Maju Samuel)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)