Feronia Inc. Advises on Timing of Filing Interim Financial Statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis
May 29 2020 - 7:00AM
Feronia Inc. (“Feronia” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: FRN) today
provides an update on the impact of COVID-19 on the Company’s
business and advises on the timing for filing of its interim
financial statements, accompanying management's discussion and
analysis and related CEO and CFO certifications for the three
months ended March 31, 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic is creating unprecedented
challenges to the global economy. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic
and its impact on market participants, the Canadian Securities
Administrators have announced temporary relief from certain
regulatory filings required to be made on or before June 1, 2020.
This blanket relief provides a 45-day extension for periodic
filings, including financial statements and management's discussion
and analysis, and is implemented through the Ontario Securities
Commission Ontario Instrument 51-502 ("Instrument 51-502").
COVID-19 has impacted Feronia, its employees,
and its ability to rely on timely information in relation to its
financial reporting obligations. Feronia’s board of directors and
management are taking all necessary precautions to ensure the
health of its employees and best manage the short-term challenges
to the business.
As a result, Feronia will be relying on the
extension permitted under Instrument 51-502 in respect to the
following: (i) the requirement to file its interim financial
statements for the three month period ended March 31, 2020 (the
"Interim Financial Statements") in accordance with section 4.4(b)
of NI 51-102; (ii) the requirement to file management's discussion
and analysis for the three month period ended March 31, 2020 (the
"Interim MD&A") in accordance with section 5.1(2) of NI 51-102;
and (iii) the requirement to file certifications related to the
Interim Financial Statements (together with the Interim Financial
Statements and the Interim MD&A, collectively, the "Interim
Filings") pursuant to section 5.1 of NI 52-109.
The Interim Filings, which would have otherwise
have had a deadline of filing of June 1, 2020, are expect to be
filed on SEDAR on or before July 14, 2020.
Feronia is continuing to work diligently and
expeditiously with its management to file the Interim Filings. In
the interim, officers, directors and other insiders of Feronia will
continue to be subject to the Company's insider trading policy,
pursuant to which such persons are prohibited from trading in any
securities of the Company until the first trading day following the
dissemination by the Company of such quarterly results.
Other than as previously disclosed by the
Company and herein with this press release, Feronia confirms that
there have been no material business developments since the date of
its audited annual financial statements that were filed on May 22,
2020.
As required by Instrument 51-502, the Company
will issue further press releases at 30 day intervals providing
updates on material business developments, if any, including an
update on the Interim Filings.
For further information please
contact:
Larry SerumaExecutive Chairman, Feronia
Inc.larry.seruma@feronia.com www.feronia.com |
Paul DulieuDirector of
Communications and Corporate Development, Feronia Inc.+44 (0)7554
521421 paul.dulieu@feronia.comwww.feronia.com |
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About Feronia Inc.
- Feronia is an agribusiness
operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
- At the heart of Feronia lies a
long-established palm oil business, Plantations et Huileries du
Congo (PHC), which has three remotely located plantations; Lokutu,
Yaligimba and Boteka.
- When Feronia acquired its palm oil
business from Unilever in 2009, it had suffered from years of
underinvestment and considerable disruption caused by conflict in
the DRC. Our initial focus has been on rebuilding the business and
resuming production to secure its future and the livelihoods of the
thousands of people we directly employ.
- Feronia’s plantations produce crude
palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel oil (PKO). CPO is part of the staple
and traditional diet of the Congolese and, with our products sold
locally in the DRC, we are well placed to help decrease reliance on
imports and increase food security and quality.
- Feronia prides itself on being the
guardian of our 109-year-old palm oil business and its employees,
communities, and environment. We have a long-term commitment to
improve the living and working environment of our employees and
their communities and are committed to sustainable agriculture,
environmental protection and community inclusion. Feronia has in
place an Environmental and Social Action Plan which is focused on
implementing environmental and social best practice and improving
social infrastructure.
- Feronia is implementing IFC/World
Bank standards for environmental and social sustainability. Our oil
palm replanting programme is brownfield in nature – replacing old
palms with new – and it has no reliance on deforestation.
- Feronia’s management team has
extensive experience in managing both plantations and farming
operations in emerging markets.
- For more information please see
www.feronia.com
Cautionary Notes
Except for statements of historical fact
contained herein, the information in this press release constitutes
“forward-looking information” within the meaning of Canadian
securities law. Such forward-looking information may be identified
by words such as “anticipates”, “plans”, “proposes”, “estimates”,
“intends”, “expects”, “believes”, “may” and “will”. There can be no
assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate; actual
results and future events could differ materially from such
statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially include, among others: risks related to foreign
operations (including various political, economic and other risks
and uncertainties), the interpretation and implementation of the
“Loi Portant Principes Fondamentaux Relatifs A L’Agriculture”,
termination or non-renewal of concession rights or expropriation of
property rights, political instability and bureaucracy, limited
operating history, lack of profitability, lack of infrastructure in
the DRC, high inflation rates, limited availability of debt
financing in the DRC, fluctuations in currency exchange rates,
competition from other businesses, reliance on various factors
(including local labour, importation of machinery and other key
items and business relationships), the Company’s reliance on one
major customer, lower productivity at the Company’s plantations and
arable farming operations, risks related to the agricultural
industry (including adverse weather conditions, shifting weather
patterns, and crop failure due to infestations), a shift in
commodity trends and demands, vulnerability to fluctuations in the
world market, the lack of availability of qualified management
personnel and stock market volatility. Details of the risk factors
relating to Feronia and its business are discussed under the
heading “Risks and Uncertainties” in Feronia’s management’s
discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2019, a
copy of which is available on the Company’s SEDAR profile at
www.sedar.com. Most of these factors are outside the control
of the Company. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance
on forward-looking information. Except as otherwise required by
applicable securities statutes or regulation, the Company expressly
disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly
forward-looking information, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its
regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the
policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for
the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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