London white sugar futures rose to a two-week high in late trading, ending with gains of more than 2 percent amid growing concern about damage to the Australian cane crop from a super cyclone, traders said.
Front-month May settled up $10.30 or 2.3 percent at $452.40 a tonne, near the top of the day's range of $453.00 to $442.50. Total volume was a modest 6,659 lots.
Dealers said the market had been edging up earlier on trade buying but gathered pace when key resistance levels were breached by New York raws.
They noted prices in London in New York had been range-bound recently.
"We finally broke out on the upside," one trader said.
Traders said worries about damage to Australia's sugar crop from a cyclone earlier this week remained supportive.
"There is another one (cyclone) heading towards the same area," one trader said.
Growers organisation Canegrowers said cyclone Larry could cut Australian production of raw sugar this season by 500,000 tonnes, or 10 percent.
COFFEE RISES: Liffe robusta coffee futures closed higher on Tuesday as limited speculative buying lifted the market and kept it within the recent range, dealers said.
Benchmark May robusta ended up $7 at $1,118 a tonne in volume of 5,584 lots. It traded between $1,134 and $1,107.
July rose $7 to $1,133. Total volume was 9,331 lots.
"Without the fund selling around and a little bit of speculative buying on the back on New York's performance, we've held," a trader said.
US futures traded slightly higher, boosted by bullish speculators.
COCOA HIGHER: London cocoa futures closed higher on Tuesday on the back of recent gains in an otherwise quiet market, dealers said.
Benchmark May closed up nine pounds at 914 pounds a tonne in volume of 2,507 lots, having moved from 915 to 896 pounds.
July contract finished up 10 pounds at 919 pounds in volume of 1,218 lots. Total volume was 4,873 lots. "The market is consolidating the little gains we've had," a trader said. "The market is quiet, lacking direction."
Last week speculative buying and a slowdown in producer selling fuelled an advance in prices, which hit one-month highs on Friday. The trader reported no fresh speculative interest, with structural trade giving the market volume.