SOFTS-Arabica coffee falls 4% in week, third successive weekly loss

NEW YORK/LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) -

Arabica coffee futures on ICE recovered ground on Friday, but still posted a 4.17% loss in the week, its third successive weekly decline, as an improving outlook for the crop in top grower Brazil weighed on prices.

There will be no trading for arabica, raw sugar and New York cocoa on ICE U.S. on Monday due to a federal holiday.

COFFEE

* March arabica coffee settled up 2.3 cents, or 1.5%, at $1.517 per lb. The front month fell to a low of $1.4205 on Wednesday, its weakest in 20 months.

* The market has fallen 12.28% in the last three weeks.

* Dealers said the outlook for the arabica crop in Brazil had improved after recent rains.

* "An end to Brazil's dry spell eased concerns over Brazil's crops," Fitch Solutions said in a note.

* Brokers noted that export differentials continue to climb while futures fall, an indication that farmers are not easily accepting lower prices to close deals.

* ICE certified coffee stocks rose to 850,724 bags on Friday, with nearly 140,000 bags pending grading.

* March robusta coffee rose $35, or 1.9%, to $1,916 a tonne. It gained 5% in the week.

SUGAR

* March raw sugar settled up 0.14 cent, or 0.7%, at 19.73 cents per lb. The market gained 4% in the week as it continued to derive support from supply tightness which is expected to continue throughout the first quarter.

* Dealers said the market was subdued with some traders squaring positions ahead of the long holiday weekend in the United States.

* Brazil's Finance Ministry announced a plan late on Thursday to reinstate federal taxes on fuels, but a final decision is up to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Ethanol could gain market share if taxes are reinstated.

* March white sugar rose $8.00, or 1.5%, at $547.30 a tonne.

COCOA

* March London cocoa settled up 17 pounds, or 0.8%, at 2,069 pounds per tonne.

* Dealers were awaiting fourth-quarter grind data from Europe and North America for indications on the extent to which global economic woes were impacting demand. Both reports are due on Jan. 19.

* March New York cocoa rose $11, or 0.4%, to $2,651 a tonne, to end the week with a 2% gain. (Reporting by Marcelo Teixeira and Nigel Hunt; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu, Alison Williams and Richard Chang)