Contact Information: Contacts: In China: Matt Feng Investor Relations China Tel: 133-1130-0320 matt.feng@agriacorp.com In the U.S.: David Pasquale Senior Vice President U.S. Tel: +914-337-1117 david.pasquale@agriacorp.com
Agria Announces Agreements by P3A's Key Management and a Major Shareholder
| Source: Agria Corporation
BEIJING--(Marketwire - June 2, 2008) - Agria Corporation (NYSE : GRO ) (the "Company" or
"Agria"), an innovative China-based agri-solutions provider, today
announced that key management of Primalights III Agricultural Development
Co., Ltd. ("P3A"), a consolidated affiliated entity of Agria, as well as
Brothers Capital Limited ("BCL"), a major shareholder of Agria, and its
directors, have each entered into agreements with the Company in connection
with the proposed release to P3A's key management of the cash and shares
placed into escrow by BCL. Agria's Board of Directors believes these
agreements are in the best interest of Agria and its shareholders and the
Board has approved the terms of these agreements.
To enhance P3A's corporate governance, Zhixin (Frank) Xue, P3A's president,
Guanglin (Alan) Lai, Agria's chairman and BCL's sole shareholder, and
Zhaohua (Paul) Qian, a director of Agria and BCL, have agreed that P3A's
articles of association will be amended to create a board of directors for
P3A and to provide that P3A's legal representative, who is currently Mr.
Xue, shall have no authority to act on behalf of P3A except as approved by
P3A's board of directors. In addition, the Company will appoint a new
chairman for P3A, and Mr. Xue has agreed to use his best efforts to effect
such appointment. Mr. Xue has entered into a new employment agreement with
P3A to serve as its president or any other position appointed by P3A's
board of directors for an initial term of three years.
With respect to P3A's shareholding structure, each of Messrs. Xue, Lai and
Qian has agreed to cause a transfer of certain equity interests in P3A
directly held by him or his spouse to Hua (Kenneth) Huang, Agria's current
chief executive officer.
To provide additional equity incentives and retain the services of
employees of P3A and Agria, Messrs. Xue, Lai and Qian have agreed to
contribute options to purchase a total of 2,200,000 ordinary shares, which
constitute all of the options granted to them by the Company, to a new
management retention plan to be established for the benefit of these
employees.
With respect to the $18 million in cash that BCL agreed to pay to P3A team
members, including $9 million paid in February 2008 and the additional $9
million that was placed into a third-party escrow account pending
distribution, Mr. Xue, Mr. Mingshe Zhang and Mr. Lv Yan, who are members of
P3A's key management team, have agreed that all of the cash proceeds
received from BCL will be distributed solely to members of P3A's
management. With respect to the shares that BCL has agreed to transfer to
Mr. Xue, he has agreed not to sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose
of that number of shares representing 50% of the shares to be transferred
to him for two years and not to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of the
remaining shares to be transferred to him for one year. This lock-up
restriction is subject to limited exceptions, including transfers in
connection with material M&A transactions approved by Agria's board, if
any, and pledges of the shares subject to the one-year lock-up restriction
for his own financing purposes, if any. Mr. Zhang and Mr. Yan have also
agreed not to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of the shares to be
transferred to them for six months.
To evidence its confidence in the future prospects of the Company, BCL has
agreed to subject 18,432,000, or 14.58% of Agria's total outstanding shares
held by BCL to a two-year lock-up restriction and to subject the remainder
of its Agria shares to a six-month lock-up restriction. This lock-up
restriction is subject to limited exceptions, including share transfers in
connection with material M&A transactions approved by Agria's board, if
any, and pledges of the shares subject to the six-month lock-up
restriction for BCL's financing purposes, if any.
After completion of the share transfer from BCL to P3A's key management,
BCL and P3A's key management will hold approximately 38.4% and 22.0%,
respectively, of the Company's total outstanding shares as of the date of
this press release, excluding shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding
stock options granted under the Company's 2007 equity incentive plan.
As part of Agria's increased focus on potential M&A opportunities, Mr. Lai,
Agria's chairman and BCL's sole shareholder, has resigned as a co-chief
executive officer of Agria and will focus on pursuing strategic M&A
transactions for Agria.
Agria believes these agreements will enhance corporate governance and the
structure of P3A and the Company. Agria will continue to consider and
review other corporate governance enhancements on an ongoing basis.
As previously announced, Agria's Board of Directors formed a Special
Committee of non-executive directors to negotiate and evaluate the terms
for these proposed transactions and for releasing the cash and shares
placed into escrow by BCL to P3A's key management. The Special Committee,
with the assistance of its independent legal advisors, have unanimously
recommended the terms of the agreements announced today, together with
certain other proposals, and the disinterested members of Agria's Board
have unanimously approved these arrangements. Pursuant to the agreements
reached by the parties, both BCL and P3A's key management have agreed to
pay certain legal and other expenses incurred by the Special Committee in
connection with this matter.
Payment of cash and/or shares by BCL to members of P3A's management as
compensation, subject to meeting certain conditions, to reward their
contribution will result in material compensation charges to the Company.
The initial $9 million in cash paid by BCL to P3A's key management in
February 2008 will be accounted as compensation charge on the Company's
financial statements for the first quarter of 2008. The additional $9
million in cash paid by BCL and the market value of the total number of
shares transferred by BCL to P3A's key management, adjusted for the return
of Mr. Xue's, Mr. Qian's and Mr. Lai's options, will be accounted as
compensation charges during the period in which the conditions are expected
to be met, which is anticipated to be in the second quarter of 2008.
However, these compensation charges are expected to be non-cash charges
and non-dilutive to shareholders since the payment would be made by BCL, a
major shareholder of the Company, rather than Agria. Agria's independent
auditors are continuing their audit of the Company's financial statements
for 2007 and performing certain agreed upon procedures with respect to the
Company's financial information for the first quarter of 2008.
Copies of the agreements between Agria and P3A's key management and BCL,
respectively, an acknowledgement and waiver agreement between Mr. Xue, BCL
and its directors, and the new employment agreement between Mr. Xue and
P3A, will be filed with the SEC as exhibits to Form 6-K containing this
press release.
About Agria Corporation
Agria Corporation (NYSE : GRO ) is an innovative China-based agri-solutions
provider focusing on research and development, production and distribution
of three different types of upstream agricultural products. Its diversified
portfolio of products comprises corn seeds, sheep breeding and seedlings,
including proprietary products developed through its own research and
development capability. The company has access to approximately 27,000
acres of farmland in seven provinces and its extensive distribution network
provides direct or third party distribution in 14 provinces. For more
information about Agria Corporation, please visit www.agriacorp.com.
Safe Harbor Statement:
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are
made under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21 E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements can be
identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "agreed," "future,"
"believes," "estimates," "confidence" and similar statements or statements
containing such words. Agria may also make written or oral forward-looking
statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission on Forms 20-F and 6-K, in its annual report to shareholders, in
press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by
its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are
not historical facts, including statements about Agria's beliefs and
expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements
involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors
could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any
forward-looking statement. The agreements which have been agreed to,
executed and approved by Agria's Board of Directors are subject to future
events, some of which are beyond the Company's control. While the Company
believes that the issues that arose in February 2008 have been resolved,
future events may reflect additional issues that may have an adverse effect
on the execution of the agreements described in this press release.
Potential risks and uncertainties also include those risks described in
Agria's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All
information provided in this press release is as of June 2, 2008, and Agria
does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement,
except as required under applicable law.