NY Soft Commodities: Sugar Down 4.5%

March Sugar closed Friday sharply lower on general selling and pressured by lower energy and demand concerns. March Sugar settled at 15.17, down 0.74. March Cocoa ended trading at 2755, down 46. The Asian Cocoa Grind data was released overnight and showed a fourth quarter decline of 17 percent. March Coffee closed higher at 162.45 up 2.50, in a firm session with a small trading range. Chatter about the Brazil National Coffee Council's crop estimate for production being lower than Brazil's official Government forecast. March Orange Juice ended the session up 0.30 at 147.25. March Cotton set new contract lows and settled the day down 0.46 at 57.30.