LONDON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Arabica coffee futures on ICE were lower on Tuesday as a favourable outlook for Brazil's production kept the market on the defensive, while sugar and cocoa prices also eased.
COFFEE
* March arabica coffee fell 0.5% to $1.51 per lb by 1138 GMT.
* Dealers said an improved outlook for Brazil's arabica crop after recent rains was continuing to weigh on prices.
* They noted exchange stocks were also continuing to climb although increased demand following the recent fall in prices had slowed the pace of the rise.
* ICE certified coffee stocks stood at a six-month high of 850,724 bags, as of Jan. 13. There were 139,161 bags pending grading.
* Brazil shipped 35.57 million 60-kg bags of green coffee abroad in 2022, down 2.6% from the previous year, industry group Cecafe said on Monday.
* March robusta coffee fell 0.2% to $1,903 a tonne.
SUGAR
* March raw sugar fell a marginal 0.05% to 19.72 cents per lb.
* Dealers said the market was underpinned by nearby supply tightness and concerns that excessive rainfall in September and October could curtail production in India.
* India is likely to produce 34.3 million tonnes of sugar in 2022/23, down 4% from the previous forecast, after sugar cane yields in key producing states were hit by adverse weather, a senior industry official told Reuters on Tuesday.
* March white sugar fell 0.6% at $549.70 a tonne.
COCOA
* March London cocoa fell 0.2% to 2,051 pounds a tonne.
* Dealers were awaiting fourth-quarter grind data from Europe and North America for indications on the extent to which global economic woes were affecting demand for cocoa. Both reports are due on Thursday.
* Sparse rainfall and high temperatures observed in some of Ivory Coast's cocoa-growing regions last week could damage beans and flowers and reduce the coming April-to-September mid-crop, farmers said on Monday.
* March New York cocoa fell 0.7% to $2,632 a tonne. (Reporting by Nigel Hunt; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
