* Cocoa arrivals at Ivorian ports well below year ago levels
* Coffee prices resume advance after downside correction
Cocoa futures on ICE rose to a 32-year high on Monday as fears of civil war in top producer Ivory Coast increased after fighting intensified over the weekend, dealers said.
Raw sugar futures advanced as the market eyed Monday's expiry of the March raws contract on ICE <SBH1 while arabica coffee were also higher.
Broadcasts of Ivory Coast's state television went down across the main city on Sunday after a transmitter was damaged in fighting between forces loyal to incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo and rival groups.
May cocoa on ICE rose $31 or 0.85 percent to a peak of $3,670 tonne by 1220 GMT.
The European Union has imposed sanctions on Gbagbo and people and institutions helping him stay in power after a November election he is widely recognised to have lost to presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara.
The institutions include the cocoa authorities and ports.
A halt to cocoa-buying in Ivory Coast because of sanctions and liquidity problems has spurred smuggling of cocoa through neighbours like Ghana, farmers say, as the alternative is to let it rot on farms.
"At the moment there's at least some movement of cocoa across borders," a London-based broker said, adding this could cease if civil war broke out.
Exporters estimated only around 1,000 tonnes of beans were delivered to the West African state's two ports between Feb. 22 and Feb. 27, down from 9,003 tonnes in the same week a year ago.
Dealers said the market remained well underpinned at current levels.
"There's no natural selling in the market right now, the market goes up very easily," the broker said.
May cocoa on Liffe rose 4 pounds or 0.2 percent to 2,372 pounds a tonne.
MARCH RAWS EXPIRY
Sugar prices were higher with the market's focus on Monday's expiry of the March contract on ICE with deliveries expected to total about one million tonnes.
March raws was up 0.38 cent or 1.2 percent at 31.90 cents a lb with its premium to May roughly stable in the run-up to expiry at about 2.80 to 2.85 cents.
The market's improved performance during the last couple of sessions was seen boosting the technical outlook.
"New York sugar futures rose above their steep downtrend Friday, opening upside potential," Brenda Sullivan, technical analyst at Sucden said.
Sugar prices have fallen by around 12 percent since hitting a 30-year high of 36.08 cents a lb on February 2.
May whites on Liffe rose $7.30 or 1.0 percent to $733.70 a tonne.
Arabica coffee futures were also higher with the market beginning to resume its uptrend after a setback during the second half of last week. May arabica coffee on ICE rose 4.10 cents or 1.5 percent to $2.7190 per lb.
The contract peaked at $2.7840 per lb last Tuesday, the highest level for the benchmark second month since 1977, but corrected lower on Wednesday and Thursday before stabilising on Friday.
"This may suggest short-term consolidation and even slight gains, but the daily indicators still show the risk for another test lower," Sucden's Brenda Sullivan said.
May robusta coffee futures on Liffe rose $46 or 2.0 percent to $2,385 a tonne.
* Prices as of 1218 GMT
source: http://news.alibaba.com/article/detail/food/100447969-1-softs-ivorian-conflict-propels-ice-cocoa.html
