Verde secures funding from BNDES

TORONTO, May 22, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verde AgriTech Plc (TSX:NPK) (OTCQB:AMHPF) ("Verde” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the Brazilian Development Bank (“BNDES) has approved debt financing for its turnkey agreement to build a 45 tons per hour Super Greensand^® production facility. The debt arrangement will be fulfilled by Santander Bank because direct operations with BNDES requires a minimum funding of R$ 10 million and Verde requires less funds for this stage of mine and plant construction.

The terms of BNDES funding via Santander are:
Total Debt Facility: R$1.040.000,00
Loan term: 60 months (grace period of 12 months and then will amortize on a straight line basis over 48 months)
Total interest rate: 12.26% (Base interest rate 6.71% + BNDES spread 2.55% + Santander spread 3%)

There are no pending pre-conditions for the execution of the present arrangement, Verde has successfully met all BNDES requirements and the funds will be available within the coming weeks.

“It is reassuring to receive funding approval from Brazil’s Development Bank and direct support from Santander. Though Verde’s PFS is predicated on funding expansions with sales’ cashflow, debt funding has been preferred at this stage in order to expedite our project and ensure no share dilution for our holders,” asserted Verde’s President & CEO, Cristiano Veloso.

In November 27, 2017 the Company announced the results of its pre-feasibility study (“PFS”). The study shows a post-tax net present value discounted at 8% of US$ 1.98 Billion and internal rate of return of 290%. In March 07, 2018 Verde announced a turnkey agreement for the construction of a processing plant with expected production of 45 tons per hour of Super Greensand^®. The plant’s engineering design and site layout were conceived to allow future expansions. The plant is expected to start production in the second half of 2018.

About Santander

Operating in Brazil since 1982, Santander Brasil is the third largest private bank in the country by assets. Headquartered in São Paulo, the Brazilian operation is part of the Santander Group, of Spanish origin, which is the main financial conglomerate in the euro area and which has a large presence in Latin America. The model adopted in Brazil and in other countries is the autonomous subsidiary in capital and liquidity, in line with the operating and regulatory characteristics in each market, in order to segregate the risk between the different units.

About BNDES

The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), a state-owned company, is the main financing institution for development in Brazil. Since its foundation in 1952, the BNDES has played a major role in stimulating the expansion of industry and infrastructure in the country. Over the course of the Bank's history, its operations have evolved in accordance with the Brazilian socio-economic challenges; today they include support for exports, technological innovation, sustainable socio-environmental development and the modernization of public administration. The Bank offers several financial support mechanisms to Brazilian companies of all sizes as well as public administration entities, enabling investments in all economic sectors. In any supported undertaking, from the analysis phase up to the monitoring, the BNDES emphasizes three factors it considers strategic: innovation, local development and socio-environmental development.

About Verde AgriTech

Verde AgriTech promotes sustainable and profitable agriculture through the development of its Cerrado Verde Project. Cerrado Verde, located in the heart of Brazil’s largest agricultural market, 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.

For additional information please contact:
Cristiano Veloso, President & Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +55 (31) 3245 0205; Email: cv@verdeagritech.com
www.verdeagritech.com | www.supergreensand.com

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:

1. the estimated amount and grade of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves;
2. the PFS representing a viable development option for the Project;
3. 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;
4. the estimated amount of future production, both produced and sold; and,
5. 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:

1. the presence of and continuity of resources and reserves at the Project at estimated grades;
2. 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;
3. the capacities and durability of various machinery and equipment;
4. the availability of personnel, machinery and equipment at estimated prices and within the estimated delivery times;
5. currency exchange rates;
6. Super Greensand® sales prices, market size and exchange rate assumed;
7. appropriate discount rates applied to the cash flows in the economic analysis;
8. tax rates and royalty rates applicable to the proposed mining operation;
9. the availability of acceptable financing under assumed structure and costs;
10. anticipated mining losses and dilution;
11. reasonable contingency requirements;
12. success in realizing proposed operations;
13. receipt of permits and other regulatory approvals on acceptable terms; and
14. 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, 2016. 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.