By M. Shankar April 21 (Bloomberg) -- White sugar advanced in London on speculation that supply will continue to trail demand and force importers to boost stockpiles. Sugar prices more than doubled last year as excess rains in Brazil and a weak monsoon in India curbed output in the world’s biggest sugar-cane growers. That spurred demand from importing nations from Egypt to Mexico. The International Sugar Organization forecasts an 8 million-metric-ton shortfall in supply in the 12 months ending in September. White sugar for August delivery advanced as much as $4.90, or 1 percent, to $494.60 a ton on the Liffe exchange and was trading at $493.50 at 9:32 a.m. local time. August-delivery sugar is $18 more expensive than the October contract, indicating limited supplies. Raw sugar for July delivery gained 1.3 percent to 16.82 cents a pound on ICE Futures U.S. in New York. Raw sugar may rebound to 19 cents in the third quarter, Standard Chartered Bank said in a report this week. Cocoa for May delivery jumped 10 pounds, or 0.5 percent, to 2,222 pounds ($3,421) a ton on Liffe. Robusta coffee for May delivery slipped $9, or 0.7 percent, to $1,289 a ton.

Source