Business
Domestic Urea Production: Monthly domestic urea output back to last year’s levels – The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Monthly domestic urea production has rebounded to last year’s levels, fertiliser ministry said on Thursday, noting that output of the most widely used soil nutrient reached 21 lakh tonnes in April, which was the same as the level recorded a year earlier.In March, domestic urea output had tumbled to around 16 lakh tonnes due to the West Asia conflict disrupting LNG supplies. Up to 97% of natural gas supply has now been restored. In April last year, domestic urea production was close to 22 lakh tonne.Aparna Sharma, additional secretary in fertiliser ministry, said increased domestic production, robust opening stock and assured imports of soil nutrients will be enough to meet the requirement for kharif crops. She added that since the beginning of conflict, 78 lakh tonnes of fertilisers — urea, Diammonium Phosphate (DAP), Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) or NPKs, and Single Super Phosphate (SSP) — have been added to the stock through domestic production and imports.She said, “Fertiliser availability remains robust, and supplies continue to exceed the requirement.” As of Thursday, the overall stock stood at 193.8 lakh tonnes, which is 50% of the estimated demand of 320 lakh tonnes for the entire kharif season.Government has maintained that despite the spike in global prices of key fertilisers, retail prices have been kept unchanged to ensure farmers don’t get impacted.
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Business
Rivian renegotiates DOE loan down to $4.5 billion, adjusts capacity plans for Georgia plant
Rivian Automotive on Thursday said it has renegotiated a $6.57 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy down to $4.5 billion and is adjusting its production expectations at an under-construction plant in Georgia.
The DOE loan was previously set to support two phases of production for a total of 400,000 units annually. The amended loan covers one phase of production with a total capacity of 300,000 vehicles, the company said Thursday.
The changes enable Rivian to draw on the loan sooner and have greater initial production but lowers its total production capacity for the plant amid uncertain demand for all-electric vehicles.
The initial loan terms were negotiated under the Biden administration. It had been in limbo under the Trump administration, which has taken action to cut or reduce such loans and has pulled back government investments to promote EVs.
Rivian said it plans to tap into the loan in 2027, a year ahead of previously scheduled. The automaker also said production of the company’s upcoming R2 electric vehicle is on track to begin at the facility in late 2028, following its recent start to production at its current facility in Normal, Illinois.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe on Thursday told CNBC’s Phil LeBeau that any future expansion of the Georgia plant would be funded by the company, which has been raising capital through partnerships with companies such as Volkswagen and Uber.
The EV maker announced the new loan details in connection with its first-quarter results, which included a net loss of $416 million, or 33 cents per share, down from a loss of $541 million, or 48 cents per share, a year ago. Those per-share results were not comparable to Wall Street expectations.
Rivian’s revenue for the quarter was $1.38 billion, up from $1.24 billion a year earlier and slightly ahead of the $1.36 billion expected by analysts, according to LSEG.
The company’s gross profit, which is closely watched by investors, was $119 million — down $87 million during the first quarter compared with a year earlier. That included a $62 million loss for its automotive segment and a $181 million profit for its software and services division.
The decline in automotive profit was primarily due to a $100 million slump in sales of automotive regulatory credits and lower production volumes, Rivian said.
Business
Trump lifts whiskey tariffs: Scotland–Kentucky trade eased after King Charles & Queen Camilla US visit – The Times of India
US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he would remove tariffs and restrictions on whiskey linked to trade between Scotland and the US state of Kentucky.In a post on Truth Social he wrote, “In Honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, who have just left the White House, soon headed back to their wonderful Country, I will be removing the Tariffs and Restrictions on Whiskey having to do with Scotland’s ability to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky on Whiskey and Bourbon, two very important Industries within Scotland and Kentucky. People have wanted to do this for a long time, in that there had been great Inter-Country Trade, especially having to do with the Wooden Barrels used. The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking! A wonderful Honor to have them both in the USA.”This comes after King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the White House on a state visit, during which trade ties and cultural relations between the United Kingdom and the United States were discussed. The visit also included conversations around strengthening economic cooperation between key industries in both countries.According to Trump’s post, the decision was influenced by long-standing trade links between Scotland’s whisky industry and Kentucky’s bourbon sector, particularly the exchange of materials such as wooden barrels used in production. He also suggested that the royal visit played a role in encouraging the policy shift.The announcement comes against the backdrop of earlier tariff measures introduced by the Trump administration in 2025, which included a 10% baseline tariff on most British goods. Those measures had raised concerns in the Scotch whisky industry, which relies heavily on exports, particularly to the United States.Trade representatives had earlier warned that such tariffs could increase pressure on distillers and impact a sector that depends significantly on international markets.Following the latest announcement, the move is expected to be welcomed by the whisky industry. Industry representatives said distillers would be able to “breathe a little easier during a period of significant pressure on the sector,” Reuters reported.
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