TORONTO, May 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Verde Potash (TSX: "NPK")
("Verde" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the
Company's market development for ThermoPotash, its premium
agri-tech fertilizer product, now branded as TK47®. TK47
is a multi-function innovative product that, in a single grain,
combines benefits for plant nutrition, plant protection, water use
efficiency, soil improvement and increased sustainability.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150526/747262 )
Verde's efforts to fully value the wide array of benefits
offered by TK47 have generated 24 partnerships with some of the
world's largest food producers. The product is being used on
sugarcane, coffee, potato, corn, soybeans, oranges, eucalyptus,
tomato, tobacco, garlic and carrot.
Going forward, in order to strengthen the brand and better
reflect the product's quality of being more than an advanced source
of potash, ThermoPotash will be referred to as TK47.
TK47: more than a potash fertilizer
In 2009, at the beginning of agronomic research, TK47 was
understood as only a source of potash. Today, after numerous
agronomic studies involving the long-term impact of TK47 across a
multitude of crops, a number of TK47's other benefits have been
identified and new research continues to reveal additional
advantages in terms of increased productivity, sustainability and
profitability. Research has now shown that by integrating TK47 into
their nutrient management systems, farmers benefit from TK47's
multi-functionality in 5 key aspects: plant nutrition, plant
protection, water use efficiency, soil improvement and sustainable
agriculture.
Plant nutrition:
- TK47 offers a high concentration of nutrients in a single
homogenous grain: Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium and Silicon;
- TK47 provides nutrients synchronously with the needs of the
plant;
- TK47 contains zero chlorine and no salinity;
- TK47 offers traces of over 40 minerals relevant for plant
nutrition, such as: Sulphur, Phosphate, Manganese, Zinc, Copper and
Cobalt;
- TK47 assists in the nutritional balance of the soil and
plants.
Plant protection:
- TK47 activates the plants' defence mechanisms;
- TK47 increases natural plant resistance against diseases and
pests;
- TK47 strengthens the plants' resistance against abiotic stress:
drought, cold, heat, light, salt and metals toxicity.
Water use efficiency:
- TK47 improves the plants' water use efficiency;
- TK47 reduces evapotranspiration, loss of water from the soil
both by evaporation and by transpiration from the plants growing
thereon;
- TK47 increases the soil's water retention capacity.
Soil improvement:
- TK47 significantly increases the availability of phosphate in
the soil;
- TK47 raises the soil's pH level;
- TK47 increases the soil's capacity to retain nutrients.
Sustainable agriculture:
- TK47 nutrients are not lost by leaching, avoiding water table
pollution;
- TK47 is certificated for use in organic agriculture;
- TK47 reduces the need for multiple product applications thus
optimizing plant nutrient management systems;
- TK47 reduces the need for pesticides, fungicides and other
chemicals;
- TK47 reduces CO2 emissions by potentially
eliminating the use of limestone.
Market development of TK47
Since market development began in 2011, field and lab tests have
shown TK47 to be a superior fertilizer product compared to
conventional and other premium potassium sources. After two years,
the Company received agricultural results far superior than its
initial expectations. This generated a high level of interest from
agriculture companies and allowed Verde to fully appreciate TK47
not only as a highly efficient source of potash but as an
innovative and sustainable plant superfood that provides a spectrum
of other benefits.
Harvested coffee grown using TK47 was classified as Specialty
Coffee, contrary to the same coffee fertilized with KCl, and field
tests have shown that potassium delivered by TK47 was nearly 3
times more effective than potassium delivered by KCl (see press
release dated March 11, 2014).
In a comparison between TK47 and K-Mag®, another premium potash
fertilizer, TK47's results of potato dry matter were 3.7% higher
and soils showed residual potassium levels 3 to 5 times higher than
that of the K-Mag® plot.
A 2-year field study demonstrated that the application of TK47
increased the productivity of sugarcane using half the dosage of
potassium per hectare (see press release dated April 30, 2014).
In 2014, the Company intensified market development efforts in
view of TK47's potential demand in Brazil. Verde has since formed several
partnerships with large corporate growers and institutions that
collectively could consume over 5 million tonnes of TK47 per
year.
President and CEO, Cristiano
Veloso, commented: "It has become clear that selling TK47
only for its potash component is like selling an iPhone only for
its calling capacity; both deliver much more to the customer. Our
intent for the past 16 months has been to promote this awareness
across Brazil's market. Our team,
assisted by Director Alysson
Paulinelli, has had numerous meetings marketing TK47 to
leading Brazilian producers. Trials by major partners are allowing
them to evaluate how TK47 will allow them to improve their current
nutrient management system, saving costs while increasing
sustainability and profitability."
About Verde
Potash
Verde Potash is a Brazil focused agri-tech company promoting
sustainable and profitable agriculture through the development of
its Cerrado Verde Project. Cerrado Verde, located in the heart of
Brazil's largest agriculture
market, is the source of a potash-rich deposit from which the
Company intends to produce TK47 and potassium chloride ("KCl").
TK47 is a multi-function innovative product that combines benefits
for plant nutrition, plant protection, water use efficiency, soil
improvement and increased sustainability. Verde's mission is to
offer technological and intelligent solutions that meet the needs
of an increasingly demanding and conscious market. The Company is
also developing its Calcario limestone project, limestone being a
key raw material in Verde's process to produce TK47 and KCl.
About the Cerrado Verde Potash Project
Cerrado Verde is a unique project: 1) its high grade potash rock
outcrops and is amenable to strip mining, allowing fast
construction of a scalable operation; 2) it is located in the midst
of the world's third largest and fastest growing fertilizer market;
3) it connects to Brazil's largest
fertilizer distribution districts via existing and high quality
infrastructure; 4) it has the potential to supply both TK47 and KCl
to Brazil's local agriculture
market from its large potash-rich deposit.
Cautionary Language and Forward Looking Statements
NEITHER THE TSX EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED
IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR
ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. THIS PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS CERTAIN "FORWARD LOOKING
STATEMENTS", WHICH INCLUDE BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, STATEMENTS WITH RESPECT TO THE
FUTURE FINANCIAL OR OPERATING PERFORMANCE OF THE COMPANY, ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND ITS
PROJECTS, AND STATEMENTS REGARDING USE OF PROCEEDS. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS CAN
GENERALLY BE IDENTIFIED BY THE USE OF WORDS SUCH AS "PLANS", "EXPECTS", OR "DOES NOT
EXPECT" OR "IS EXPECTED", "ANTICIPATES" OR "DOES NOT ANTICIPATE", OR "BELIEVES",
"INTENDS", "FORECASTS", "BUDGET", "SCHEDULED", "ESTIMATES" OR VARIATIONS OF SUCH WORDS
OR PHRASES OR STATE THAT CERTAIN ACTIONS, EVENT, OR RESULTS "MAY", "COULD", "WOULD",
"MIGHT", OR "WILL BE TAKEN", "OCCUR" OR "BE ACHIEVED". FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
INVOLVE KNOWN AND UNKNOWN RISKS, UNCERTAINTIES AND OTHER FACTORS WHICH MAY CAUSE THE
ACTUAL RESULTS, PERFORMANCE OR ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE COMPANY TO BE MATERIALLY DIFFERENT
FROM ANY FUTURE RESULTS, PERFORMANCE OR ACHIEVEMENTS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED BY SAID
STATEMENTS. THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCES THAT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS WILL PROVE TO
BE ACCURATE, AS ACTUAL RESULTS AND FUTURE EVENTS COULD DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE
ANTICIPATED IN SAID STATEMENTS. ACCORDINGLY, READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE RELIANCE
ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS.
Readers are cautioned not to rely solely on the summary of such information contained
in this release and are directed to the complete set of drill results posted on
Verde's website (http://www.verdepotash.com) and filed on SEDAR (http://www.sedar.com)
and any future amendments to such. Readers are also directed to the cautionary notices
and disclaimers contained herein.
Cristiano Veloso, President &
Chief Executive Officer, Tel: +55-(31)-3245-0205, Fax:
+55-(31)-3245-0205, Email: cv@verdepotash.com;
http://www.verdepotash.com; Iwona
Zakrzewski, VP Investor Relations & Corporate Secretary,
Tel: +1-(416)-844-7337 / +1-(416)-866-2966, Email:
iz@verdepotash.com