Verde AgriTech Ltd (TSX: “NPK”)
("
Verde” or the “
Company”) is
pleased to announce the appointment of João Paulo Frez as Chief
Revenue Officer (“
CRO”). Mr. Frez has over two
decades of sales experience in the agribusiness sector, with the
past nine years dedicated to developing the market for specialty
fertilizers in Brazil. He succeeds Mr. Gilson Guardiero, who has
served as the Company’s CRO since Q3 2023. Until February 2024, Mr.
Frez served as the Senior Commercial Director for Brazil at ICL, a
leading global specialty minerals company.
In his role as Senior Commercial Director for
Brazil at ICL, Mr. Frez managed a robust sales team that included 3
Business Unit Directors, 13 Regional Sales Managers, and 120
Technical Sales Executives. Under his leadership, ICL experienced
significant growth in sales and margins, attributed to the
successful expansion of the specialty fertilizers segment.
“Mr Frez stands out as one of Brazil's most
accomplished senior executives in specialty fertilizer sales. His
journey in the industry began with five years of experience in
large-scale farming operations before embarking on a remarkable
sales career characterized by significant growth in results. Mr.
Frez's proven track record in devising successful sales strategies
and managing robust commercial operations across Brazil will play a
crucial role in enhancing Verde's sales performance and overcoming
market challenges to fulfill our goals for 2024 and beyond,
sustainably ensuring returns across our entire value chain by
delivering high-performance agronomic products that yield good
profitability for farmers, distributors, and our shareholders,”
commented Cristiano Veloso, Verde’s Founder and CEO.
After playing a key role in setting up
commercial operations at Cooasgo - one of Brazil's most prominent
agricultural cooperatives from 2008 to 2012 - Mr. Frez transitioned
to a commercial representative position at Consagro Agroquímica -
an American multinational agrochemical company – where he focused
on optimizing distribution channels and implementing direct sales
strategies.
In 2015, he accepted the position of Regional
Sales Manager at Fertilaqua, overseeing a team of 10 Technical
Sales Executives across four Brazilian states. By 2017, he was
promoted to Business Unit Director, a pivotal role overseeing a
strategic commercial region in Brazil. His area of operation
covered multiple states, including Minas Gerais, Goiás, Bahia, and
Tocantins. As Business Unit Director, Mr. Frez led a team of 63
sales executives.
The specialty fertilizers segment's potential
for high margins drew market attention to Fertilaqua, leading to
its acquisition by ICL in 2021. After a year serving as Business
Unit Director at ICL, Mr. Frez was promoted to the role of Senior
Commercial Director. He maintained this position until February
2024, when he transitioned to Verde.
"Verde AgriTech’s dedication and mission to
promote sustainable agriculture are truly inspiring. Verde's
portfolio goes beyond just potassium supply. Our products deliver a
variety of nutrients that substantially improve crop growth. They
are also distinguished by their salinity-free composition, ability
to enhance soil microbiota, low carbon footprint, and their
capability to sequester atmospheric CO2, contributing to climate
change mitigation. From my experience, it’s evident to me that such
characteristics establish our product as a notably superior
specialty fertilizer, not just another commodity in the
conventional potash market. However, our present market positioning
does not fully convey these advantages, affecting the Company's
profit margins. Adopting a Blue Ocean Strategy is essential to
address this, aiming to stimulate demand and render traditional
competition obsolete by focusing on value creation," stated Mr.
Frez.
About Verde AgriTech
Verde is an agricultural technology Company that
produces potash fertilizers. Our purpose is to improve the health
of all people and the planet. Rooting our solutions in nature, we
make agriculture healthier, more productive, and profitable.
Verde is a fully integrated Company: it mines
and processes its main feedstock from its 100% owned mineral
properties, then sells and distributes the Product.
Verde’s focus on research and development has
resulted in one patent and eight patents pending. Among its
proprietary technologies are Cambridge Tech, 3D Alliance, MicroS
Technology, N Keeper, and Bio Revolution.1 Currently, the Company
is fully licensed to produce up to 2.8 million tons per year of its
multinutrient potassium fertilizers K Forte® and BAKS®, sold
internationally as Super Greensand®. In 2022, it became Brazil's
largest potash producer by capacity. Verde has a combined measured
and indicated mineral resource of 1.47 billion tons at 9.28% K2O
and an inferred mineral resource of 1.85 billion tons at 8.60% K2O
(using a 7.5% K2O cut-off grade).2 This amounts to 295.70 million
tons of potash in K2O. For context, in 2021 Brazil’s total
consumption of potash in K2O was 6.57 million3.
Brazil ranks second in global potash demand and
is its single largest importer, currently depending on external
sources for over 97% of its potash needs. In 2022, potash accounted
for approximately 3% of all Brazilian imports by dollar value.4
Corporate Presentation
For further information on the Company, please view
shareholders’ deck:
https://verde.docsend.com/view/cb2w3cnd2jk4sw49
Cautionary Language and Forward-Looking
Statements
All Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resources
estimates reported by the Company were estimated in accordance with
the Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and the Canadian Institute
of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum Definition Standards (May 10,
2014). These standards differ significantly from the requirements
of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mineral Resources
which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic
viability.
This document contains "forward-looking
information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation
and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United
States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This
information and these statements, referred to herein as
"forward-looking statements" are made as of the date of this
document. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or
future performance and reflect current estimates, predictions,
expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but
are not limited to, statements with respect to:
- the estimated amount and grade of
Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves;
- the estimated amount of CO2 removal
per tonne of rock;
- the PFS representing a viable
development option for the Project;
- estimates of the capital costs of
constructing mine facilities and bringing a mine into production,
of sustaining capital and the duration of financing payback
periods;
- the estimated amount of future
production, both produced and sold;
- timing of disclosure for the PFS
and recommendations from the Special Committee;
- the Company’s competitive position
in Brazil and demand for potash; and,
- estimates of operating costs and
total costs, net cash flow, net present value and economic returns
from an operating mine.
Any statements that express or involve
discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs,
plans, projections, objectives or future events or performance
(often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects",
"anticipates", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "envisages",
"assumes", "intends", "strategy", "goals", "objectives" or
variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or
results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur
or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar
expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be
forward-looking statements.
All forward-looking statements are based on
Verde's or its consultants' current beliefs as well as various
assumptions made by them and information currently available to
them. The most significant assumptions are set forth above, but
generally these assumptions include, but are not limited to:
- the presence of and continuity of
resources and reserves at the Project at estimated grades;
- the estimation of CO2 removal based
on the chemical and mineralogical composition of assumed resources
and reserves;
- the geotechnical and metallurgical
characteristics of rock conforming to sampled results; including
the quantities of water and the quality of the water that must be
diverted or treated during mining operations;
- the capacities and durability of
various machinery and equipment;
- the availability of personnel,
machinery and equipment at estimated prices and within the
estimated delivery times;
- currency exchange rates;
- Super Greensand® and K Forte® sales
prices, market size and exchange rate assumed;
- appropriate discount rates applied
to the cash flows in the economic analysis;
- tax rates and royalty rates
applicable to the proposed mining operation;
- the availability of acceptable
financing under assumed structure and costs;
- anticipated mining losses and
dilution;
- reasonable contingency
requirements;
- success in realizing proposed
operations;
- receipt of permits and other
regulatory approvals on acceptable terms; and
- the fulfilment of environmental
assessment commitments and arrangements with local
communities.
Although management considers these assumptions
to be reasonable based on information currently available to it,
they may prove to be incorrect. Many forward-looking statements are
made assuming the correctness of other forward looking statements,
such as statements of net present value and internal rates of
return, which are based on most of the other forward-looking
statements and assumptions herein. The cost information is also
prepared using current values, but the time for incurring the costs
will be in the future and it is assumed costs will remain stable
over the relevant period.
By their very nature, forward-looking statements
involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and
specific, and risks exist that estimates, forecasts, projections
and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved or that
assumptions do not reflect future experience. We caution readers
not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as
a number of important factors could cause the actual outcomes to
differ materially from the beliefs, plans, objectives,
expectations, anticipations, estimates assumptions and intentions
expressed in such forward-looking statements. These risk factors
may be generally stated as the risk that the assumptions and
estimates expressed above do not occur as forecast, but
specifically include, without limitation: risks relating to
variations in the mineral content within the material identified as
Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves from that predicted;
variations in rates of recovery and extraction; the geotechnical
characteristics of the rock mined or through which infrastructure
is built differing from that predicted, the quantity of water that
will need to be diverted or treated during mining operations being
different from what is expected to be encountered during mining
operations or post closure, or the rate of flow of the water being
different; developments in world metals markets; risks relating to
fluctuations in the Brazilian Real relative to the Canadian dollar;
increases in the estimated capital and operating costs or
unanticipated costs; difficulties attracting the necessary work
force; increases in financing costs or adverse changes to the terms
of available financing, if any; tax rates or royalties being
greater than assumed; changes in development or mining plans due to
changes in logistical, technical or other factors; changes in
project parameters as plans continue to be refined; risks relating
to receipt of regulatory approvals; delays in stakeholder
negotiations; changes in regulations applying to the development,
operation, and closure of mining operations from what currently
exists; the effects of competition in the markets in which Verde
operates; operational and infrastructure risks and the additional
risks described in Verde's Annual Information Form filed with SEDAR
in Canada (available at www.sedar.com) for the year ended December
31, 2021. Verde cautions that the foregoing list of factors that
may affect future results is not exhaustive.
When relying on our forward-looking statements
to make decisions with respect to Verde, investors and others
should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other
uncertainties and potential events. Verde does not undertake to
update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that
may be made from time to time by Verde or on our behalf, except as
required by law.
For additional information please
contact:
Cristiano Veloso, Chief
Executive Officer and Founder
Tel: +55 (31) 3245 0205; Email:
investor@verde.ag
www.verde.ag | www.investor.verde.ag
________________1 Learn more about our technologies:
https://verde.docsend.com/view/yvthnpuv8jx6g4r92 As per the
National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral
Projects within Canada (“NI 43 -101”), filed on SEDAR in 2017. See
the Pre-Feasibility Study at:
https://investor.verde.ag/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NI-43-101-Pre-Feasibility-Technical-Report-Cerrado-Verde-Project.pdf
3 Source: Brazilian Fertilizer Mixers Association (from "Associação
Misturadores de Adubo do Brasil", in Portuguese).4 Source:
Brazilian Comex Stat, available at:
http://comexstat.mdic.gov.br/en/geral
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