Raw sugar futures ended softer early on Tuesday in a session dominated by switch-linked liquidation as investors moved out of the front contract before its expiration at month's end, brokers said.
The March electronic sugar contract fell 0.24 cent to trade at 12.42 cents per lb at 1:08 pm EST (1808 GMT), moving from 12.30 to 12.65 cents, with traded volume in the contract at around 32,861 lots.
The March open-outcry sugar contract sank 0.30 cent to end at 12.36 cents per lb, dealing from 12.35 to 12.62 cents. May shed 0.24 cent to 12.85 cents. The rest declined from 0.26 to 0.34 cent. On switches, open interest in the March contract, which expires on February 29, dove 49,080 lots to 227,948 contracts as of February 11.