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A Unique Play in the Multibillion Dollar Agriculture Industry

Stockhouse Editorial
0 Comments| August 13, 2020

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(Image via Verde AgriTech.)

Our relationship with food is changing at a faster pace than ever before. From rising costs, to rising populations, to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the global food supply, there are new issues around growing production that few companies are prepared for.

One such issue has been labelled as such a problem for the environment that it has been compared to blood diamonds
Click to enlargein mining.

That problem? The industrial agricultural practice of potassium chloride. While potassium (K) is an essential nutrient for plant growth, this industrial standard of using concentrated potassium is actually a practice of adding a nasty contaminant into the soil that grows the food we eat.

However, there is a solution in the form of a locally sourced potassium mineral owned by a Canadian-listed Company.


(Image via Verde AgriTech.)


“Going back to how things used to be:”

With a mantra dedicated to making the world a healthier place, Verde AgriTech PLC (TSX: NPK, OTCQB: AMHPF, Forum) promotes sustainable and profitable agriculture through the development of its Cerrado Verde Project.

Located in the heart of Brazil’s largest agricultural market, Cerrado Verde, Verde AgriTech’s Cerrado Verde Project promotes sustainable and profitable agriculture. It is the source of a potassium-rich deposit from which the Company intends to produce solutions for crop nutrition, crop protection, soil improvement and increased sustainability.

The Company’s President, CEO and Founder, Cristiano Veloso, is so passionate about what the Verde brand of soil can do for the market and the world, he stated in an interview with Stockhouse Editorial that famed climate activist Greta Thunberg herself would swap the Swedish parliament to Nutrien’s headquarters in Saskatoon if she heard about how damaging potassium chloride is to the environment.

He wouldn’t even be surprised to see it see the same fate as asbestos in our society and said a ton of potassium chloride in the soil is basically the equivalent to pouring 8,000 litres of Clorox in the damage it would do to microorganisms (Heide Hermary, Effects of some synthetic fertilizers on the soil ecosystem, 2007).

Why is carbon captured in the soil such a concern? As CEO Veloso explained, concentrated potassium, KCl, is very cheap and has become the industry standard for soil, being widely used from Saskatchewan to Brazil. The problem with making it so concentrated is that the potentially harmful contaminant chloride must also be present, which can be good for the financial bottom line, but bad for the soil microbiomes and the environment.

Verde AgriTech believes it can offer the solution. This sustainable product is chloride free, and costs roughly the same amount as soil containing potassium chloride. Usually, the alternative products that are chloride free cost 50% or more, which is uneconomic for a lot of farmers.


(Image via Verde AgriTech.)


An opportunity with size:

In the Company’s pre-feasibility study, it noted that it can supply 40% of the Brazilian potash market, which could yield annual sales of $628 million (USD) in revenue and gives roughly $2 billion in net present value.

This is the right Company to see this come to fruition. Verde released its Q1 2020 financial highlights in May and reported that its revenue increased by 230% to $509,532, compared to $154,279 in Q1 2019. This news also included a sales increase by 830% with a total of 10,170 tonnes compared to 1,093 in Q1 2019, as well as a 32% increase in production with a total of 6,375 tonnes, compared to 4,825 tonnes in Q1 2019. More information on this can be found here.

This news came after Verde reported 344% growth in 2019, as revenues were $6.029 million, against a previously stated target of $5.3 million. The gross margin was 48% and the operating profit before non-cash events was $0.025 million.

Typically, companies with a major net present value that work in a large market with immense potential revenues come with a gigantic capital expenditure and massive requirements for investment. This can dilute shares to the point where it becomes uninteresting to investors and then we often see these shares liquidated and it is only Bay Street suits who make money, but there is a difference with Verde.

This opportunity is a truly scalable project and out of this project, the Company intends to achieve annual revenue upward of $628 million via a successful combination of debt and accumulated cash flow. The Company’s leadership is proud to declare its financial independence, which can be a benefit turned towards shareholders. Verde AgriTech has proven that it can achieve this, from its financial reports released this year and last, which show growing revenue numbers.

While everyone is talking about the explosive growth seen by the likes of stay-at-home tech companies during this time of pandemic-led isolation, comparing this captive market to Verde’s growth it is even more impressive how fast this soil Company is rising.

Click to enlargeThe annual Brazilian potash market is roughly $4 billion (CAD) and 98% of that market relies on imports, so to replace that import demand with a local sustainable product helps the environment and also farmer economics. A true win-win.

Science has shown that this natural option can increase crop yields and it is supported even further by Verde’s technological advancement. It makes more sense now than ever to abandon potassium chloride and return to more natural solutions like this to preserve the soil microbiome.

The Verde product, a natural source of potassium, fits the bill and since the Company is one of the very few with such an option, it is an attractive offering for being ahead of the curve, when major producers like Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE: NTR) could stand to suffer the most and may need to shift its operations in the future if these predictions come true.


A healthier choice for the land and your portfolio:

It is no small feat to make the world’s population healthier, but Verde AgriTech has set out a business plan to try to make this happen while also growing its own business reach.

Verde is working ahead to bring its solution to market and the fruits of this labour will likely be evident in the near term.

In March 2020, Brazil’s National Mining Agency approved a 25 million tonne-per-year (tpy) feasibility study for Mine Pit 2 and also filed a 2.5 million tpy Mining Concession Application for Mine Pit 3. The Company is fully permitted to produce a total 199,800 tpy and has applications pending for an additional 2,733,000 tpy.

As we learn more about this agri-tech Company as it advances its operations, we will find out just who runs the world in future editorial. Some may think it would be the United States or China, but it may be those who control the global supply of potash who truly claim international dominance. We know that Russia has a controlling interest in 40% of the global potash supply, while Canada has another 40%. Without this, the worldwide population would starve, but this Brazilian Company is out to help society take back control.

To find out more about Verde AgriTech, visit their website - verdepotash.com.


FULL DISCLOSURE: This is a paid article produced by Stockhouse Publishing.



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