Shares of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) declined sharply on Wednesday, falling 8.30 per cent to close at ₹360.95 on the NSE, after Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), a key subsidiary, outlined its strategic priorities and growth roadmap for FY27.

The stock came under pressure after JLR announced plans aimed at delivering double-digit revenue growth through greater product and propulsion flexibility across its Range Rover and Defender brands, while also sharpening its focus on the North American market.

In an update to investors at its headquarters in Gaydon, UK, JLR said the next phase of its Reimagine strategy will focus on expanding customer choice and strengthening the company’s resilience and growth profile.

PB Balaji, JLR CEO, said: “As we enter a critical business delivery phase of our Reimagine strategy, launching five new products over the next two years across our incredible House of Brands, now is also the time to evolve our plan to offer global markets greater propulsion choice to unlock growth and build resilience.

“To truly manifest the power of our brands, we will increase our focus on North America, our biggest market. The rising demand for luxury products coupled with the strong preference we see for our brands signals significant growth potential. Apart from accelerating our existing offerings, we are also exploring new high potential segments for our Defender brand, which will allow us to offer tailored luxury products and experiences for even more of our US clients. Our aspiration, in the coming years, is to grow our US business to the size of the entire JLR business as it exists today,” he added.

Published on June 17, 2026

India’s current strategic petroleum reserves are equivalent to just about 9-10 days of the country’s net crude imports, far below other major import-dependent countries, a new report revealed on Wednesday.

The report released by Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) said other countries that rely heavily on crude imports – such as Japan and South Korea – maintain reserves sufficient for over 200 days.

The report, ‘How Secure is India’s Energy Future? Assessing Accessibility, Reliability, and Affordability, also noted that over 85 per cent of India’s crude oil imports come from just six countries, including Russia and key West Asian suppliers, limiting flexibility supply shocks.

Hemant Mallya, fellow at the CEEW, said, “Disruptions in crude oil, LNG, LPG, coal, or key shipping routes can quickly affect cooking costs, transport fuel prices, fertiliser subsidies, industrial competitiveness, and inflation.” For gas, India imports nearly half its supply as LNG but has no dedicated strategic gas storage facilities, leaving fertiliser plants and city gas networks exposed, the report said.

It also highlighted that the country’s coal security risks are increasingly influenced by its continued dependence on imported coking coal – particularly from Australia -for steelmaking, and exposure to Indonesian export policies for non-coking coal imports.

On the domestic side, declining coal quality and rising production costs signal a narrowing cost advantage for coal power over firm renewable power, said the report.

It argued that clean energy can reduce India’s exposure to continuously imported fossil fuels.

However, the report said that clean energy can create a different kind of strategic dependence: on critical minerals, technologies, and industrial inputs.

This dependence must be managed through domestic manufacturing, supply-chain diversification, recycling, and strategic international partnerships, according to the report.

Mallya said, “India’s next phase of energy security must move beyond securing fossil fuels to a clear transition plan: optimising gas system utilisation, avoiding further refinery expansion, accelerating viable EV adoption, electrifying industry, reconfiguring refineries for lower gasoline demand, and building resilient green technology supply chains.”

Published on June 17, 2026

Red Balloon Aerospace Private Limited, a near-space solutions startup, and Bazoomq Space Research Laboratory, an Armenia-based private space research organisation, have signed an agreement to jointly advance near-space test campaigns, payload-platform integration, atmospheric research, and onboard AI development. 

The partnership will enable both organisations to jointly execute stratospheric demonstration campaigns, test payloads under real near-space conditions, advance edge computing and autonomy applications, and explore future commercial opportunities.

“For India’s near-space ecosystem, the collaboration is a signal that indigenous capability is now attracting international partners. For Armenia, it creates a direct pathway into one of the world’s most active emerging stratospheric markets,” CVS Kiran, Co-Founder and CEO of Red Balloon Aerospace Private Limited, said.

“Partnership with Red Balloon Aerospace gives us a strong framework to explore near-space capabilities, advanced payload integration, and edge compute applications that can help strengthen Armenia’s role in the emerging aerospace ecosystem,” Avetik Grigoryan, Co-Founder and CEO of Bazoomq Space Research Laboratory, said here in a statement on Wednesday.

Vijayawada-based Red Balloon launched the country’s first indigenous stratospheric super-pressure balloon platform, VISTA, which carried commercial payloads to the stratosphere. High-altitude platform systems are gaining global attention as governments, industry, and research institutions seek resilient solutions for connectivity, disaster response, environmental monitoring, and persistent Earth observation.

Published on June 17, 2026

Sanjeev Kumar Asthana,  President of the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA).
| Photo Credit:
KAMAL NARANG

India should significantly improve yields from oilseed crops, and tap the potential of cottonseed oil, ricebran oil, and other alternatives, if it aims to reduce imports in the coming years, according to Sanjeev Asthana, President of the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA).

In his monthly letter to the members of SEA on Wednesday, he said India is expected to produce a record 43.06 million tonnes of oilseeds during 2025-26, led by rapeseed-mustard, groundnut and soybean.

Despite this achievement, the country continues to import nearly 60 per cent of its edible oil requirements. With population growth, rising incomes and changing consumption patterns driving demand, edible oil remains a kitchen essential.

Cutting import dependance

“The reality is simple: import dependence can be reduced by increasing domestic production and productivity. If India aims to reduce imports to around 9.5-10 million tonnes by 2030, we must significantly improve yields while tapping the potential of cottonseed oil, rice bran oil and other alternative resources. Otherwise, the current edible oil import bill of $18-19 billion may continue to rise,” he said.

Highlighting the roadmap for self-resilience, Asthana said SEA shared its recommendations on rabi price policy with A Ganesh Kumar, Chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), recently.

The suggestions focused on the need to launch a focused National Oilseeds Mission, accelerate crop diversification, align MSP policies with productivity and diversification goals, and to invest aggressively in technology. The success of SEA-Solidaridad’s 3,000 mustard model farms has already demonstrated that productivity gains are measurable, scalable and achievable. India must now replicate such models nationwide, he said.

On oilmeal exports, he said geopolitical tensions, higher freight costs and logistical disruptions adversely affected oilmeal exports during the year. However, new opportunities emerged. China became the largest buyer of Indian rapeseed meal witnessing exceptional growth, while South Korea strengthened its position as a major importer of castor, rapeseed and soybean meals.

Sharing common objective

Although exports to Bangladesh declined, several other markets, including Kenya, Germany, Nepal and France expanded their purchases. Going forward, India’s competitiveness must rest on productivity, quality and reliability rather than exchange rate advantages alone, he said.

On balancing growth and sustainability, he said the discussions surrounding biotechnology and genetically modified crops will continue, but all stakeholders share the common objective of enhancing domestic production while safeguarding sustainability, farmer welfare and consumer confidence.

At the same time, weather risks remain a concern. With monsoon rainfall projected at around 90 per cent of the Long Period Average, August and September will be critical months for flowering and pod formation in oilseed crops. Any disruption during this period could affect both kharif and subsequent rabi production, he said.

Published on June 17, 2026