London white sugar futures closed up on Friday on trade buying and expectations of buying from Asia and the Middle East over the weekend, dealers said.
Benchmark August settled up $3.9, or 0.87 percent, at $450 a tonne, at the top of the day's range between $450 and $455.5. Total volume was 4,805 lots.
"There was trade buying towards the end and also there is a tender in Pakistan," one trader said.
The government has instructed the state-run Trading Corporation of Pakistan to import at least 200,000 tonnes of sugar per month.
Dealers said the market had stabilised after falling last week to a 2-1/2-month low for the front month of $435.90.
"For the moment I think we have seen the lows," one dealer said.
The world's top raw sugar buyer, Russia, will keep its raw cane sugar import tariff at $140 per tonne in July, unchanged from the previous nine months, the Economy Ministry said on Friday.
COCOA RISES:
London cocoa futures ended up on speculative and trade buying on Friday in switch-dominated business, dealers said.
The benchmark July contract settled up 13 pounds, or 1.51 percent, at 875 pounds a tonne after trading between 879 and 862 pounds. Total volume was 11,722 lots.
"There is some spec buying in there but it's all about the July-September switch," said one dealer.
Another dealer said there had been trade buying.
Cameroon's cocoa exports in the 2005/06 season reached 123,518 tonnes by the end of May, down from 151,184 at the same stage of the 2004.05 season, a state agency said on Friday.
COFFEE CLIMBS:
London robusta futures ended up on Friday on trade and speculative buying while profit-taking took the market off the day's highs, dealers said.
The benchmark July contract settled up $8, or 0.71 percent, at $1,138 a tonne after trading between $1,147 and $1,127. Total volume was 7,249 lots.
"There was a bit of spec and trade buying...A bit of profit-taking took the market off the highs," one dealer said.
The dealer added the market was stuck in a range with no new fundamental factors.
Brazilian farmers picked 20 percent of an estimated 43.5 million 60-kg bag 2006/-7 (July/June) coffee crop by June 7, compared with 15 percent a week ago, analysts Safras e Mercado said on Friday.