TOP STORIES

2nd UPDATE: Cocoa Futures Soar As European Grindings Surprise

LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Cocoa futures rose sharply Friday as the market digested better-than-expected European grindings data, and concerns continued to mount that expectations for Ghana's crop are over-ambitious.

Colombia Coffee Output Dropped 27% Last 12 Months; Exports Fell 18%

BOGOTA (Dow Jones)--Colombia's coffee production fell 27% during the 12-month period through March, the National Federation of Coffee Growers, or Fedecafe, said Friday.

Brazil Plans To Auction Ports To Private Operators -Report

SAO PAULO (Dow Jones)--Brazil is preparing a handful of government-operated ports to be handed over to private operators and is seeking to renegotiate contracts on dozens of leased ports as part of its effort to alleviate one of Brazil's biggest bottlenecks, Valor Economico newspaper said Friday.

SUGAR

Raw-Sugar Futures Tumble 3.5% On Concerns Over China Growth

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Raw-sugar futures on the ICE Futures U.S. exchange dropped to a more than three-month low on Friday as investors became concerned over slower Chinese growth and its impact on the sugar trade.

India Sugarcane Planting Rises 5% To 3.84 Mln Hectares

NEW DELHI (Dow Jones)--India's sugarcane planting in the current season is up about 5% from a year earlier at 3.84 million hectares as of Friday, a government statement said, raising the hopes of a bumper crop and more exports of the sweetener in the next marketing year.

India 2012-13 Sugar Output Could Surprise To Upside -Czarnikow

LONDON (Dow Jones)--India's sugar industry has benefited from the world market trading at a premium to production costs in 2011-12, Czarnikow said Thursday, and the country's upcoming seasonal output could surprise to the upside because of timely payments to farmers.

China March Refined Sugar Output 2.72 Mln Tons; Up 32.2% On Year

BEIJING (Dow Jones)--China's refined sugar output in March rose 32.2% from a year earlier to 2.72 million metric tons, the National Bureau of Statistics said Friday.

COFFEE

European Coffee Stocks Fell To 9.26 Mln Bags In February - ECF

LONDON (Dow Jones)--Europe's coffee stocks decreased by 434,192 60-kilogram bags in February, to 9.26 million bags, data from the European Coffee Federation show Friday.

COTTON

Widening Spread In Cotton Market Signals Squeeze Fears

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--A widening spread in the cotton market is sowing fears that a squeeze is in the works.

COCOA

ICE Cocoa Futures Surge 3.8% On European Grindings Data

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Cocoa prices on the ICE Futures U.S. exchange jumped as high as $2,259 a ton Friday after European cocoa-grindings data beat market expectations.

Central Cameroon March Cocoa Beans Fine For Export-Industry

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (Dow Jones)--Beans from Cameroon's second main cocoa-producing Center Region and exported through the port of Douala in March were much the same size and quality as in February, and were classed as fine for exports, a dozen quality controllers at the port told Dow Jones Newswires Friday.

Cocoa Prices Down At 290,000 Naira A Ton In Nigeria's Ondo State -Traders

IBADAN, Nigeria (Dow Jones)--Cocoa prices have declined further in Nigeria's southwest Ondo state because of the low quality of beans in the market, traders said Friday.

EU Child Labor Resolution In Cocoa Sector "Lacks Substance"-Group

LONDON (Dow Jones)--The European Union resolution on child labor for the cocoa sector passed last month "lacks substance" and fails to impose any real requirements on the chocolate industry, the Washington-based International Labor Rights Forum told Dow Jones Newswires Friday.

Cameroon Cocoa Output Could Hit 400,000 Tons By 2015-Minister

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (Dow Jones)--Increased investment and the opening of more cocoa farms could see Cameroon's annual cocoa harvest hit a record 400,000 metric tons by 2015, up from an already all-time high of 240,000 tons in the 2010-2011 season, the country's Trade Minister has said.

German 1Q Cocoa Grind Up 3.1% On Year At 112,205 Tons

FRANKFURT (Dow Jones)--German cocoa bean grindings in the first quarter rose 3.1% on the year to 112,205.6 metric tons, the Association of the German Confectionary Industry said Friday.

-By Alexandra Wexler, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-4883; alexandra.wexler@dowjones.com