News: Noble Group, Asia’s largest publicly traded commodity supplier by sales, said first-quarter profit plunged 62%, weighed down by a loss at its agricultural unit. Net income was US$41.3 million ($51.2 million)in the three months ended March 31, from US$110.1 million a year earlier, the Hong Kong- based company said today in a statement. Sales slid 1% to US$22.6 billion. The company reported a loss of US$66.6 million from supply chains in the quarter at its agricultural business and said it had cut expenses and finance costs in the period. When asked on a conference call on Feb. 28 about earnings drivers for the coming six to 12 months, Chief Executive Officer Yusuf Alireza said one of the drivers of the company’s performance “going forward” would be a recovery at its agricultural unit and potential growth opportunities across all its businesses. “We continue to execute ......