10-Q 1 v358842_10q.htm FORM 10-Q
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
 
(Mark One)
 
x
Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
 
For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2013
 
or
 
¨
Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
 
For the transition period from to
 
Commission File Number 001-34444
 
Yongye International, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
Nevada
20-8051010
(State or other jurisdiction of
(I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)
Identification No.)
   
6th Floor, Suite 608, Xue Yuan International Tower,
No. 1 Zhichun Road, Haidian District Beijing, PRC
(Address of principal executive offices)
 
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
 
+86 10 8232 8866
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes  x     No  ¨
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Date File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes  x      No  ¨
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
 
Large accelerated filer   ¨
Accelerated filer   x
Non-accelerated filer   ¨  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
Smaller reporting company   ¨
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes   ¨      No   x
 
As of November 8, 2013, there were 50,685,216 shares of common stock, par value $.001 per share, issued and outstanding.
 
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
 
 
Page
 
 
 
Part I. Financial Information
 
 
 
 
Item 1.
Financial Statements
3
 
 
 
Item 2.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Operations and Financial Condition
26
 
 
 
ITEM 3.
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
43
 
 
 
ITEM 4
CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
44
 
 
 
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
 
 
 
 
ITEM 1.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
45
 
 
 
  ITEM 1A.
RISK FACTORS
45
 
 
 
ITEM 2.
UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
64
 
 
 
ITEM 3.
DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
64
 
 
 
ITEM 4.
MINING SAFETY DISCLOSURE
64
 
 
 
ITEM 5.
OTHER INFORMATION
64
 
 
 
ITEM 6.
EXHIBITS
64
 
 
2

 
PART I.
 
Financial Information
 
ITEM 1.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
YONGYE INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
 
 
 
Note
 
September 30, 2013
 
December 31, 2012
 
Current assets
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cash
 
 
 
US$
101,064,636
 
US$
44,511,404
 
Restricted cash
 
 
 
 
40,000
 
 
40,000
 
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts
 
3
 
 
390,325,780
 
 
293,600,762
 
Inventories
 
4
 
 
101,919,511
 
 
118,693,596
 
Deposits to suppliers
 
5
 
 
117,044,550
 
 
24,048,028
 
Prepaid expenses
 
 
 
 
2,820,511
 
 
312,648
 
Other receivables
 
 
 
 
1,030,030
 
 
1,189,633
 
Deferred tax assets
 
18
 
 
10,011,456
 
 
11,591,797
 
Total Current Assets
 
 
 
 
724,256,474
 
 
493,987,868
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Property, plant and equipment, net
 
6
 
 
25,507,415
 
 
26,224,957
 
Intangible assets, net
 
7
 
 
17,173,869
 
 
18,909,349
 
Land use right, net
 
8
 
 
4,853,303
 
 
4,807,313
 
Prepayment for mining project
 
9
 
 
36,751,900
 
 
35,792,410
 
Distributor vehicles
 
10
 
 
38,786,205
 
 
44,125,293
 
Total Assets
 
 
 
US$
847,329,166
 
US$
623,847,190
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Current liabilities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Short-term bank loans
 
11
 
US$
83,009,164
 
US$
50,857,163
 
Long-term loans and payables - current portion
 
12
 
 
9,803,306
 
 
9,149,280
 
Capital lease obligations - current portion
 
13
 
 
505,449
 
 
395,878
 
Accounts payable
 
 
 
 
11,717,757
 
 
12,364,193
 
Income tax payable
 
 
 
 
34,287,230
 
 
3,196,078
 
Advance from customers
 
 
 
 
102,166
 
 
154,944
 
Accrued expenses
 
14
 
 
14,502,049
 
 
31,389,630
 
Other payables
 
15
 
 
3,304,091
 
 
2,828,262
 
Derivative liabilities - fair value of warrants
 
16
 
 
-
 
 
348,364
 
Total Current Liabilities
 
 
 
 
157,231,212
 
 
110,683,792
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Long-term loans and payables
 
12
 
 
8,162,478
 
 
10,254,922
 
Capital lease obligations - non-current
 
13
 
 
2,310,242
 
 
2,134,155
 
Other non-current liability
 
18
 
 
6,862,975
 
 
6,683,802
 
Deferred tax liabilities
 
18
 
 
5,817,931
 
 
6,618,794
 
Total Liabilities
 
 
 
US$
180,384,838
 
US$
136,375,465
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares: par value $.001;
    7,969,044 shares authorized; 6,505,113 and 6,079,545 shares issued and
    outstanding as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012,
    respectively
 
 
 
US$
54,713,640
 
US$
51,208,657
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Equity
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Common stock: par value $.001; 75,000,000 shares authorized;
    50,685,216 shares and 50,604,026 shares issued and outstanding at
    September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, respectively
 
16
 
US$
50,685
 
US$
50,604
 
Additional paid-in capital
 
 
 
 
155,265,347
 
 
154,792,050
 
Retained earnings
 
 
 
 
393,464,704
 
 
240,679,395
 
Accumulated other comprehensive income
 
 
 
 
33,474,611
 
 
19,950,447
 
Total equity attributable to Yongye International, Inc.
 
 
 
 
582,255,347
 
 
415,472,496
 
Noncontrolling interest
 
 
 
 
29,975,341
 
 
20,790,572
 
Total Equity
 
 
 
US$
612,230,688
 
US$
436,263,068
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commitments and Contingencies
 
20
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total Liabilities, Redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares and
    Equity
 
 
 
US$
847,329,166
 
US$
623,847,190
 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.
 
 
3

 
YONGYE INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
 UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
 
 
 
 
 
For the Three Months Ended
 
For the Nine Months Ended
 
 
 
Note
 
September 30,
2013
 
September 30,
2012
 
September 30,
2013
 
September 30,
2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sales
 
 
 
US$
223,239,572
 
US$
129,734,770
 
US$
569,845,463
 
US$
371,726,400
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost of sales
 
 
 
 
81,449,550
 
 
49,223,371
 
 
217,659,311
 
 
147,712,243
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gross profit
 
 
 
 
141,790,022
 
 
80,511,399
 
 
352,186,152
 
 
224,014,157
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Selling expenses
 
 
 
 
42,392,643
 
 
37,009,019
 
 
122,791,825
 
 
89,766,666
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Research and development expenses
 
 
 
 
5,446,115
 
 
5,160,458
 
 
17,792,133
 
 
14,054,000
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
General and administrative expenses, including a reversal of allowance for doubtful accounts of nil and US$6,334,832 for nine months ended September30, 2013 and 2012, respectively
 
 
 
 
5,758,034
 
 
4,823,781
 
 
13,090,952
 
 
11,261,073
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Impairment loss of goodwill
 
 
 
 
-
 
 
10,748,731
 
 
-
 
 
10,748,731
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income from operations
 
 
 
 
88,193,230
 
 
22,769,410
 
 
198,511,242
 
 
98,183,687
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other income/(expenses)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest expense
 
 
 
 
(1,734,934)
 
 
(1,130,175)
 
 
(5,264,000)
 
 
(3,236,470)
 
Interest income
 
 
 
 
2,337,234
 
 
312,206
 
 
2,944,330
 
 
447,616
 
Other (expenses), net
 
 
 
 
(174,494)
 
 
(135,382)
 
 
(242,742)
 
 
(100,666)
 
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities
 
16
 
 
-
 
 
(203,851)
 
 
-
 
 
(134,564)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total other income/(expenses), net
 
 
 
 
427,806
 
 
(1,157,202)
 
 
(2,562,412)
 
 
(3,024,084)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Earnings before income tax expense
 
 
 
 
88,621,036
 
 
21,612,208
 
 
195,948,830
 
 
95,159,603
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income tax expense
 
18
 
 
14,295,663
 
 
4,084,473
 
 
31,148,754
 
 
17,096,901
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income
 
 
 
 
74,325,373
 
 
17,527,735
 
 
164,800,076
 
 
78,062,702
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Less: Net income attributable to the noncontrolling interest
 
 
 
 
3,863,494
 
 
707,656
 
 
8,509,784
 
 
3,750,470
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income attributable to Yongye International, Inc.
 
 
 
US$
70,461,879
 
US$
16,820,079
 
US$
156,290,292
 
US$
74,312,232
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income per common stock:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
 
22
 
US$
1.22
 
US$
0.28
 
US$
2.70
 
US$
1.31
 
Diluted
 
22
 
US$
1.22
 
US$
0.28
 
US$
2.70
 
US$
1.31
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income
 
 
 
 
74,325,373
 
 
17,527,735
 
 
164,800,076
 
 
78,062,702
 
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of nil income taxes
 
 
 
 
3,790,624
 
 
(847,511)
 
 
14,199,149
 
 
1,790,799
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Comprehensive income
 
 
 
 
78,115,997
 
 
16,680,224
 
 
178,999,225
 
 
79,853,501
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to the noncontrolling interest
 
 
 
 
4,045,049
 
 
667,794
 
 
9,184,769
 
 
3,833,464
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Comprehensive income attributable to Yongye International, Inc.
 
 
 
US$
74,070,948
 
US$
16,012,430
 
US$
169,814,456
 
US$
76,020,037
 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.
 
 
4

 
YONGYE INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
 
UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
 
 
 
 
 
Redeemable Series A Convertible
Preferred Shares
 
 
Common Stock
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note
 
Shares
 
Amount
 
 
Shares
 
Amount
 
Additional
Paid-in
Capital
 
Retained
Earnings
 
Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income
 
Equity
attributable to
Yongye
International,
Inc.
 
Noncontrolling
Interest
 
Total
Equity
 
Balance as of December 31, 2012
 
 
 
6,079,545
 
US$
51,208,657
 
 
50,604,026
 
US$
50,604
 
US$
154,792,050
 
US$
240,679,395
 
US$
19,950,447
 
US$
415,472,496
 
US$
20,790,572
 
US$
436,263,068
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income
 
 
 
-
 
 
-
 
 
-
 
 
-
 
 
-
 
 
156,290,292
 
 
-
 
 
156,290,292
 
 
8,509,784
 
 
164,800,076
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other comprehensive income
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13,524,164
 
 
13,524,164
 
 
674,985
 
 
14,199,149
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Warrant exercised
 
16
 
-
 
 
-
 
 
81,190
 
 
81
 
 
473,297
 
 
-
 
 
-
 
 
473,378
 
 
-
 
 
473,378
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Paid-in-kind dividends on redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares
 
16
 
-
 
 
3,504,983
 
 
-
 
 
-
 
 
-
 
 
(3,504,983)
 
 
-
 
 
(3,504,983)
 
 
-
 
 
(3,504,983)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Balance as of September 30, 2013
 
 
 
6,079,545
 
US$
54,713,640
 
 
50,685,216
 
US$
50,685
 
US$
155,265,347
 
US$
393,464,704
 
US$
33,474,611
 
US$
582,255,347
 
US$
29,975,341
 
US$
612,230,688
 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.
 
 
5

 
YONGYE INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
 
UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
 
 
 
For the Nine Months Ended
 
 
 
September 30, 2013
 
September 30, 2012
 
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income
 
US$
164,800,076
 
US$
78,062,702
 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Depreciation and amortization
 
 
13,566,582
 
 
11,347,718
 
Good will impairment loss
 
 
-
 
 
10,748,731
 
Amortization of loan discount
 
 
666,669
 
 
-
 
(Gain)/loss on sale of property, plant and equipment
 
 
(33,606)
 
 
5,865
 
Reversal of allowance for doubtful accounts
 
 
-
 
 
(6,334,832)
 
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities
 
 
-
 
 
134,564
 
Stock compensation expense
 
 
-
 
 
3,649,794
 
Deferred tax (benefit)/expense
 
 
493,474
 
 
(276,459)
 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Accounts receivable
 
 
(90,915,305)
 
 
(133,726,272)
 
Inventories
 
 
20,022,536
 
 
(24,286,936)
 
Deposits to suppliers
 
 
(91,823,831)
 
 
(23,970,641)
 
Prepaid expenses
 
 
(2,490,078)
 
 
4,365,644
 
Other receivables
 
 
176,813
 
 
(2,040)
 
Distributor vehicles
 
 
(112,379)
 
 
(6,417,878)
 
Accounts payable
 
 
(1,006,212)
 
 
13,526,323
 
Income tax payable
 
 
30,770,181
 
 
9,955,073
 
Advance from customers
 
 
(61,317)
 
 
(3,987,053)
 
Accrued expenses
 
 
(17,564,289)
 
 
14,657,056
 
Other payables
 
 
1,781,369
 
 
271,634
 
Net Cash Provided by/(Used in) Operating Activities
 
 
28,270,683
 
 
(52,277,007)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Purchase of property, plant and equipment
 
 
(1,575,636)
 
 
(2,778,431)
 
Net Cash Used in Investing Activities
 
 
(1,575,636)
 
 
(2,778,431)
 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements
 
 
6

 
YONGYE INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
 
UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Continued)
 
 
 
For the Nine Months Ended
 
 
 
September 30, 2013
 
September 30, 2012
 
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Proceeds from short-term bank loans
 
 
79,803,429
 
 
25,318,859
 
Repayment of long-term loans and payables
 
 
(4,313,662)
 
 
(5,172,447)
 
Repayment of short-term bank loans
 
 
(49,947,636)
 
 
(28,483,717)
 
Proceeds from warrants exercised
 
 
125,014
 
 
-
 
Principal payments under capital lease obligation
 
 
(205,384)
 
 
-
 
Net Cash Provided by/(Used in) Financing Activities
 
 
25,461,761
 
 
(8,337,305)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EFFECT OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH
 
 
4,396,424
 
 
277,452
 
NET INCREASE/(DECREASE) IN CASH
 
 
56,553,232
 
 
(63,115,291)
 
CASH AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD
 
 
44,511,404
 
 
81,154,880
 
CASH AT END OF PERIOD
 
US$
101,064,636
 
US$
18,039,589
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Supplemental cash flow information:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cash paid for income taxes
 
US$
-
 
US$
7,444,236
 
Cash paid for interest expense
 
 
3,662,024
 
 
3,178,077
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Noncash investing and financing activities:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment under capital leases
 
 
331,434
 
 
2,610,135
 
Acquisition of distributor vehicles by assuming long-term loans and payables
 
 
2,373,238
 
 
13,012,137
 
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment included in other payables
 
 
371,132
 
 
1,459,764
 
Exercise of warrants that were liability classified
 
 
348,364
 
 
-
 
Paid-in-kind dividends on redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares
 
 
3,504,983
 
 
1,808,667
 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.
 
 
7

 
YONGYE INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
 
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
September 30, 2013 AND 2012
 
NOTE 1 -ORGANIZATION AND DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
 
Yongye International, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in the State of Nevada on December 12, 2006. On April 17, 2008, the Company and the Company’s then principal shareholder entered into a share exchange agreement (the “Exchange Agreement”) with Fullmax Pacific Limited (“Fullmax”), a privately held investment holding company organized on May 23, 2007 under the laws of the British Virgin Islands and all the shareholders of Fullmax (the “Fullmax Shareholders”). Pursuant to the terms of the Exchange Agreement, the Fullmax Shareholders transferred to the Company all of their shares in exchange for 11,444,755 shares of the Company’s common shares (the “Share Exchange”). As a result of the Share Exchange, Fullmax became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company and the Fullmax Shareholders received approximately 84.7% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common shares. Immediately prior to the date of the Share Exchange, the Company was a publicly listed shell entity with no operations and a nominal amount of cash and, Fullmax, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Asia Standard Oil Limited (“ASO”) and indirect subsidiary, Yongye Nongfeng Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (“Yongye Nongfeng”), was engaged in the sale of fulvic acid based liquid and powder nutrient compounds. The Share Exchange was accounted for as a reverse recapitalization, equivalent to the issuance of stock by Fullmax for the net monetary assets of the Company accompanied by a recapitalization.
 
In November 2007, ASO entered into a Sino-Foreign cooperative joint venture contract with Inner Mongolia Yongye Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (“Inner Mongolia Yongye”) to form Yongye Nongfeng, pursuant to which, Inner Mongolia Yongye and ASO were to own 10% and 90% of the equity interests in Yongye Nongfeng, respectively. Inner Mongolia Yongye was formed on September 16, 2003 in the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”). Mr. Zishen Wu, Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Company, owns a controlling equity interest in Inner Mongolia Yongye.
 
On January 4, 2008, the incorporation and establishment of Yongye Nongfeng was approved by the Inner Mongolia Department of Commerce and the Inner Mongolia Administration for Industry and Commerce. The scope of business of Yongye Nongfeng is the research and development, manufacturing, distribution and sale of fulvic acid based liquid and powder nutrient compounds used in the agriculture industry. The period of the cooperative joint venture is ten years and may be extended by a written application submitted to the relevant government authority for approval no less than six months prior to the expiration of the cooperative joint venture. Prior to the legal establishment of Yongye Nongfeng, both Fullmax and ASO were non-substantive holding companies with no assets and operations and were primarily designed and used as legal vehicles to facilitate foreign participation in the business conducted by Inner Mongolia Yongye.
 
In connection with the September Offering (See Note 16), the Company entered into agreements to acquire the productive assets of Shengmingsu manufacturing business from Inner Mongolia Yongye (the “Acquisition”). In October 2009, the Company completed the Acquisition. The consideration paid for the Acquisition consisted of cash of US$4.7 million and 4.5% equity interests in Yongye Nongfeng. After the Acquisition, Inner Mongolia Yongye and ASO became 5% and 95% equity interest owner of Yongye Nongfeng, respectively.
 
On July 20, 2010, Yongye Nongfeng set up a wholly-owned subsidiary, Inner Mongolia Yongye Fumin Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (“Yongye Fumin”), with registered capital of US$14,731,880 (equivalent to RMB 100 million). Yongye Fumin is engaged in the manufacturing and sale of fulvic acid based liquid and powder nutrient compounds. Yongye Fumin was established to expand the production capacity for fulvic acid based liquid and powder nutrient compounds, and to produce humic acid using lignite coal (See Note 9). The construction of the production plant of Yongye Fumin, which is located in Wuchuan County, was completed in the fourth quarter of 2010.
 
In May 2011, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with MSPEA Agriculture Holding Limited (“MSPEA”), an affiliate of Morgan Stanley, and Full Alliance International Limited (“Full Alliance”), the Company’s largest shareholder. According to the agreement, the Company issued 5,681,818 shares of redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares to MSPEA on June 9, 2011 (“Issuance Date”) for total gross proceeds of US$50 million. The redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares are convertible into common stock of the Company at an initial conversion price of US$8.80 subject to certain adjustments as specified in the agreement (See Note 16).
 
On September 23, 2013, the Company entered into an agreement and plan of merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Full Alliance International Limited, a British Virgin Islands company (“Holdco”), Yongye International Limited, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Holdco (“Parent”), and Yongye International Merger Sub Limited, a Nevada corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”, together with the Company, Holdco and Parent, the “Parties” and any one of them a “Party”). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, upon the terms and subject to the conditions thereof, at the effective time of the merger, Merger Sub will be merged with and into the Company, the Company will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent and each of the Company’s shares of common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger will be converted into the right to receive US$6.69 in cash without interest, except for (i) shares owned by Holdco, Parent and Merger Sub, including shares of common stock and Preferred Shares to be contributed to Parent by Holdco, Mr. Zishen Wu, Prosper Sino Development Limited and MSPEA, immediately prior to the effective time of the merger pursuant to a contribution agreement, dated as of September 23, 2013, among Parent, Holdco, Mr. Zishen Wu, Prosper Sino Development Limited and MSPEA (except that, with respect to Prosper Sino, only such shares designated as “Prosper Sino rollover shares” in the preliminary proxy statement in connection with the special meeting of stockholders will be contributed), and (ii) shares of common stock held by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company ((i) and (ii) collectively, the “Excluded Shares”), which will be cancelled for no consideration and cease to exist as of the effective time of the merger. Currently, Holdco, Mr. Zishen Wu, Prosper Sino Development Limited and MSPEA, collectively beneficially own approximately 33.1% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock, on an as converted basis.
 
The Merger Agreement contains representations and warranties of the Parties that are, in general, customary for a transaction of this type. The assertions embodied in those representations and warranties were made solely for purposes of the contract among the Parties and may be subject to important qualifications and limitations agreed to by the Parties in connection with the negotiated terms. Moreover, some of those representations and warranties may not be accurate or complete as of any specified date, may be subject to a contractual standard of materiality different from those generally applicable to investors or may have been used for purposes of allocating risk among the Parties rather than establishing matters as facts.
 
The Parties have also agreed to certain covenants, including covenants requiring the Company to conduct its business in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice in all material respects and use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve substantially intact its business organization and relationships with governmental authorities, customers, suppliers and other persons with which it has material business relations and keep available the services of its current officers and key employees through the effective time of the merger, except as expressly provided in the Merger Agreement.
 
The Merger Agreement also includes customary termination provisions for both the Company and Parent. In specified circumstances, if the Merger Agreement is terminated, the Company shall pay Parent a termination fee in the amount of $4,000,000 or $2,000,000, as applicable, or receive from Parent a termination fee in the amount of $10,000,000. The Merger Agreement also provides that if the required stockholder approvals shall not have been obtained at the stockholders’ meeting, Parent shall reimburse the Company’s expenses up to $2,000,000.
 
The Company’s Board of Directors, acting upon the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of the Board of Directors comprised solely of independent and disinterested directors (the “Special Committee”), approved and adopted the Merger Agreement and has recommended that the Company’s shareholders vote to approve the Merger Agreement. The Special Committee negotiated the terms of the Merger Agreement with the assistance of legal and financial advisors to the Special Committee.
 
The merger is subject to closing conditions including, but not limited to: (a) adoption of the Merger Agreement by the (i) affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock and preferred shares of the Company, voting together as a single class, with the number of votes the holders of preferred shares shall be entitled to vote equal to the number of shares of common stock into which such preferred shares are convertible, as determined in accordance with the articles of incorporation of the Company, (ii) affirmative vote or consent of the holders of at least a majority of the issued and outstanding preferred shares of the Company and (iii) affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the issued and outstanding shares (other than the Excluded Shares); (b) the absence of any order, injunction or decree preventing or making illegal the consummation of the merger; (c) the truth and correctness of each Party’s representations and warranties at closing (subject to materiality qualifiers); (d) the compliance of each Party with its covenants in all material respects, and (e) the absence of any material adverse effect on the Company. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the merger will be completed.   
 
On October 28, 2013, the Company filed a Preliminary Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, as amended on November 6, 2013, together with a Schedule 13E-3, as amended on November 6, 2013, with the Securities Exchange Commission indicating its intention to call a special meeting of its shareholders at a still to be specified date to vote on the Merger Agreement for the Company to go private.
 
If the merger is completed, the Company will cease to be a publicly traded company.
 
 
8

 
NOTE 2 -SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
 
PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
 
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted as permitted by rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The December 31, 2012 consolidated balance sheet was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the December 31, 2012 audited consolidated financial statements of the Company included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.
 
In the opinion of management, all adjustments (which include normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present a fair statement of the financial position as of September 30, 2013, the results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 and cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, have been made.
 
The Company’s business is subject to seasonal variations; thus, the results of operations for the three months ended September 30, 2013 are not necessarily indicative of the results for the full fiscal year ending December 31, 2013. Generally, the second and third quarters are peak sales periods, and first and fourth quarters are low sales periods for the Company.
 
All significant intercompany transactions and balances are eliminated on consolidation.
 
USE OF ESTIMATES
 
The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the useful lives of property, plant and equipment; the allowance for doubtful accounts; the fair value determination of financial and equity instruments and stock compensation awards, the realizability of deferred tax assets and inventories; the recoverability of goodwill, intangible asset, prepayment for mining project, land use right and property, plant and equipment; and accruals for income tax uncertainties and other contingencies. The current economic environment has increased the degree of uncertainty inherent in those estimates and assumptions.

NOTE 3 - ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE
 
Accounts receivable at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 consisted of the following:
 
 
 
September 30, 2013
 
December 31, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Accounts receivable
 
US$
399,575,217
 
US$
302,608,722
 
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts
 
 
(9,249,437)
 
 
(9,007,960)
 
Total
 
US$
390,325,780
 
US$
293,600,762
 
 
There was no write-off of accounts receivable for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012.
 
The activities in the allowance for doubtful accounts for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 are as follows:
 
 
 
September 30, 2013
 
September 30, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Allowance for doubtful accounts at beginning of period
 
US$
9,007,960
 
US$
15,222,584
 
Reversal of allowance for doubtful accounts, net
 
 
-
 
 
(6,334,832)
 
Foreign currency translation adjustment
 
 
241,477
 
 
94,721
 
Allowance for doubtful accounts at end of period
 
US$
9,249,437
 
US$
8,982,473
 
 
 
9

  
Past due balances are reviewed individually for collectability. During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, a significant portion of the accounts receivable as of December 31, 2012, including all the past due accounts, were collected by the Company. As of September 30, 2013, the Company assessed its allowance for doubtful accounts and determined that the allowance for doubtful accounts was adequate by considering the amount of historical losses adjusted to take into account current market conditions and the customers’ financial condition, the amount of receivables in dispute and past due, the accounts receivables aging and customers’ repayment patterns.
 
During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, to reduce the Company’s credit risk, management required certain customers to pay for the Company’s products by bills receivable. Bills receivable represents short-term notes receivable issued by financial institutions that entitles the Company to receive the full face amount from the financial institutions upon maturity, which generally is six months from the date of issuance.
 
During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, the Company transferred its bills receivable amounting to US$24 million to banks. At the time of the transfer, the Company determined that it has surrendered control over the bills receivable transferred and the derecognition conditions have been met.  Accordingly, the bills receivable were derecognized. The estimated fair value of the limited recourse obligations was determined to be immaterial. The Company recorded the discount from the bills receivable transferred to banks of US$583,329 in interest expense in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
 
As of September 30, 2013, bills receivable which have been transferred by the Company were all matured.

NOTE 4 - INVENTORIES
 
Inventories at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 consisted of the following:
 
 
 
September 30, 2013
 
December 31, 2012
 
Finished goods
 
US$
82,289,721
 
US$
100,771,731
 
Work in progress
 
 
17,752,679
 
 
16,508,149
 
Raw materials
 
 
1,224,536
 
 
1,090,665
 
Consumables and packing supplies
 
 
652,575
 
 
323,051
 
Total
 
US$
101,919,511
 
US$
118,693,596
 
 
As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, certain finished goods in the amount of US$2,441,446 and US$2,377,707 respectively, were pledged as security for short-term bank loans (See Note 11). In addition, as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, finished goods included US$38,423,495 and US$46,112,628 of products sold to certain distributors for which the related revenue was not recognized in accordance with the Company’s accounting policy on revenue recognition. Revenues from sale of products to these distributors are not recognized until collectability is reasonably assured, which is demonstrated by a sufficient period of historical collection experience. Until that time, product sales to these distributors are recognized as revenue, with the related finished goods recognized in cost of sales when cash is received from the distributors. During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, US$54.7 million of inventory was recovered through cash collection and US$47.0 million of inventory was sold to these distributors for which the related revenue was not recognized.

NOTE 5 - DEPOSITS TO SUPPLIERS
 
The Company is required to pay deposits to the suppliers for the full amount of certain raw materials ordered. These raw materials primarily consist of lignite coal, chemical component materials and packing materials. The lignite coal and chemical component materials will be consumed in the production process at Yongye Nongfeng and Yongye Fumin. As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, the deposits to suppliers for raw materials and packing materials amounted to US$116,681,968 and US$23,789,166, respectively. As of November 8, 2013, approximately US$59.4 million deposits at September 30, 2013 were subsequently utilized, through the receipt of raw materials and packing materials from the suppliers.
 
The Company’s decision to make advanced orders of raw materials is mainly based upon (1) the current and projected future market price of raw materials, (2) the demand and supply situation in the raw materials market, and (3) the forecasted demand of products.
 
 
10

 
NOTE 6 - PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT
 
Property, plant and equipment at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 consisted of the following:
 
 
 
September 30, 2013
 
December 31, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Buildings
 
US$
17,766,737
 
US$
17,302,898
 
Machinery and equipment
 
 
7,717,002
 
 
7,423,282
 
Office equipment and furniture
 
 
551,435
 
 
528,086
 
Vehicles
 
 
5,533,393
 
 
5,132,875
 
Software
 
 
31,766
 
 
26,090
 
Leasehold improvements
 
 
999,607
 
 
973,510
 
 
 
 
32,599,940
 
 
31,386,741
 
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization
 
 
7,092,525
 
 
5,161,784
 
Property, plant and equipment, net
 
US$
25,507,415
 
US$
26,224,957
 
 
Depreciation and amortization expense related to property, plant and equipment for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 was US$663,811 and US$442,890, respectively. Depreciation and amortization expense related to property, plant and equipment for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 was US$1,930,741 and US$1,352,394, respectively.
 
As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, vehicles with initial carrying amount of US$305,028 and US$376,005 were pledged as security for the long-term bank loans of US$52,557 and US$94,647, respectively. The bank loans were provided for the purchases of the vehicles (See Note 12).
 
As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, vehicles with initial carrying amount of US$3,026,167 and US$2,617,541 were acquired under capital leases, respectively (See Note 13). Among these vehicles, as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, vehicles with initial carrying amount of approximately US$1.2 million were provided to the distributors in exchange for the distributors agreeing to comply with certain sales conditions under certain agreements (See Note 10).
 
As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, the Company pledged Yongye Nongfeng’s buildings with an initial carrying amount of approximately US$6.2 million as security for short-term bank loans (See Note 11). 

NOTE 7 - INTANGIBLE ASSETS
 
Intangible asset at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 consisted of the following:
 
 
 
September 30, 2013
 
 
 
Weighted
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
average
 
Gross
 
 
 
Net
 
 
 
amortization
 
carrying
 
Accumulated
 
carrying
 
 
 
period
 
amount
 
amortization
 
amount
 
Amortizing intangible assets:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Customer List
 
9 years
 
US$
26,802,128
 
(9,678,546)
 
17,123,582
 
Patent
 
10 years
 
 
118,321
 
(68,034)
 
50,287
 
Total
 
 
 
US$
26,920,449
 
(9,746,580)
 
17,173,869
 
 
 
 
December 31, 2012
 
 
 
Weighted
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
average
 
Gross
 
 
 
Net
 
 
 
amortization
 
carrying
 
Accumulated
 
carrying
 
 
 
period
 
amount
 
amortization
 
amount
 
Amortizing intangible assets:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Customer List
 
9 years
 
US$
26,102,399
 
(7,250,666)
 
18,851,733
 
Patent
 
10 years
 
 
115,232
 
(57,616)
 
57,616
 
Total
 
 
 
US$
26,217,631
 
(7,308,282)
 
18,909,349
 
 
 
11

 
Amortization expense for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 was US$801,042 and US$714,612, respectively. Amortization expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 was US$2,438,298 and US$2,199,726, respectively. The estimated annual amortization expenses for intangible asset in the next five years are US$2,989,846, US$2,989,846, US$2,989,846, US$2,989,846, and US$2,980,972, respectively.
 
On July 1, 2010, Yongye Nongfeng entered into an agreement with its provincial level distributor in Hebei Province, the PRC (“Seller”) to purchase the Seller’s customer list, including the customer relationships (“Customer List”). The acquisition of the Customer List allows Yongye Nongfeng to sell its products to sub-provincial level or regional distributors in Hebei Province directly. The consideration of the Customer List was 3,600,000 shares of common stock of the Company which was issued in July 2010 and US$3 million cash. The US$3 million cash consideration was paid in March 2011.
 
The Company determined that a nine-year period to amortize the customer list was appropriate, following the pattern in which the expected benefits of the acquired asset will be consumed or otherwise used up. The Company’s contract period with its provincial distributors (including sub-provincial level distributors after the acquisition) generally is for a period of three years. The Company believes that it has historical experience in renewing or extending similar distributor contracts, which is consistent with the intended use of the Customer List. There are no legal or regulatory provisions that limit the useful life of the Customer List or that cause the cash flows and useful life of the Customer List to be constrained. In addition, the Company expects the effect of obsolescence, demand, competition, and other economic factors to be minimal.
 
The Company engaged an independent third party valuation firm in determining the fair value of the Customer List. The fair value of the Customer List was determined using an income approach and considered assumptions (including turnover rate) that a market participant would make consistent with the highest and best use of the asset by market participants. The period of expected cash flows used to measure the fair value of the Customer List was nine years. Without evidence to the contrary, the Company expects that the Customer List will be renewed or extended at the same rate as a market participant would expect, and no other factors would indicate a different useful life is more appropriate. Accordingly, in light of the absence of any other entity-specific factors, the useful life of the Customer List was determined to be nine years.
 
A straight-line method of amortization has been adopted as the pattern in which the economic benefits of the Customer List are used up cannot be reliably determined.

NOTE 8 - LAND USE RIGHT
 
As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 land use right represented:
 
 
 
September 30, 2013
 
December 31, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Land use right
 
US$
5,284,348
 
US$
5,146,389
 
Less: Accumulated amortization
 
 
431,045
 
 
339,076
 
Total
 
US$
4,853,303
 
US$
4,807,313
 
 
As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, the Company had pledged Yongye Nongfeng’s land use right with an original carrying amount of approximately US$4.6 million as security for a short-term bank loan (See Note 11).

NOTE 9 - PREPAYMENT FOR MINING PROJECT
 
On March 1, 2010, the Company entered into an agreement with its then major humic acid supplier,Wuchuan Shuntong Humic Acid Company Ltd. (“Vendor”), to acquire the permit for the rights to explore, develop and produce lignite coal resources (the “Mineral Right”) in a certain area of Wuchuan County (the “Project Site”) for cash consideration of approximately RMB 240 million or USD $35 million. The permit allows the Company to complete all necessary administrative procedures and obtaining government approvals to acquire the Mineral Right. Pursuant to the agreement, Vendor is to assist the Company in completing all necessary administrative procedures and obtaining government approvals.
   
 
12

 
In August 2011, Inner Mongolia’s Ministry of Land and Resources granted the Company a Mineral Resource Exploration Permit which gives it exclusive exploration rights for the 29.74 square kilometer Project Site for an initial period of three years effective August 2, 2011. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company engaged a third party mineral institute to assist the Company in obtaining the Geological Exploration Report. As of September 30, 2013, the Company has not obtained certain other government approvals, including Geological Report and Geological Exploration Report, for it to acquire the Mineral Right. The Company believes the cost to be incurred in completing the remaining administrative procedures and obtaining government approvals are not significant. The Project Site in Wuchuan is located near Yongye Fumin’s production plant which manufactures the majority of the Company’s products. The Company believes the acquisition of the Mineral Right will allow it to secure a long term supply of humic acid, which is a major raw material used in the manufacture of fulvic acid based liquid and powder nutrient compounds, and which is sourced from lignite coals.

NOTE 10 - DISTRIBUTORS VEHICLES
 
The Company entered into agreements with certain distributors, including sub-distributors pursuant to which the Company provided each distributor a free vehicle in exchange for the distributor agreeing to comply with certain sales conditions during the term of the agreement of five years.  The sales conditions included (1) meeting the annual sales target set by the Company; (2) not selling the products at a price lower than the price stipulated by the Company; and (3) selling the products only in Company’s approved territories.  To the extent the distributor fails any one of these conditions during the term of the agreement, the Company has the right to have the vehicles returned back to the Company.
 
The cost of these vehicles has been recorded as “Distributors vehicles” which is expensed over a five-year period in “Cost of Sales”. Amortization expense for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 was US$3,061,740 and US$2,982,306, respectively. Amortization expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 was US$9,374,555 and US$7,653,452, respectively. In addition, as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, distributor vehicles included an amount of US$5,817,931 and US$6,618,794 respectively, representing the tax effect of the difference between the amount paid for the vehicles and the tax basis of the assets.

NOTE 11 - SHORT-TERM BANK LOANS
 
In April 2012, Yongye Nongfeng obtained a short-term bank loan of RMB 100,000,000 (equivalent to US$15,851,377) with fixed annual interest rate of 8.528% from China Everbright Bank. The short-term bank loan is guaranteed by the Company’s Chairman and his wife, and is due on April 28, 2013. The loan was paid off in April 2013.
 
In June 2012, Yongye Nongfeng obtained a short-term bank loan of RMB 60,000,000 (equivalent to US$9,510,826) with fixed annual interest rate of 8.203% from China CITIC Bank. The short-term bank loan is pledged by the land use right and building of Yongye Nongfeng, and is due on June 20, 2013. The loan was paid off in June 2013.
 
In November 2012, Yongye Nongfeng obtained a short-term bank loan of RMB 15,000,000 (equivalent to US$2,441,446) with fixed annual interest rate of 7.8% from Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (the “SPD Bank”) and is due on November 18, 2013. The short-term bank loan is guaranteed by certain third parties (the “Guarantee Company”). Guarantee fee of RMB 300,000 (equivalent to US$48,829) was paid during the year ended December 31, 2012. The Company pledged certain finished goods as counter-guarantee to the Guarantee Company. In July 2013, Yongye Nongfeng obtained an additional short-term bank loan of RMB 20,000,000 (equivalent to $3,255,261) from SDP Bank under the same guarantee contract with the same fixed annual interest rate of 7.8%. This loan is due on November 18, 2013.
 
In December 2012, Yongye Nongfeng issued a letter of credit (“L/C”) to Yongye Fumin through China CITIC Bank with a par value of RMB 150,000,000 (equivalent to US$23,777,066) for a term of six months. Yongye Fumin immediately discounted the L/C to the bank and received RMB 145,837,500 (equivalent to US$23,117,253). The difference between the cash received and the par value amounting to RMB 4,162,500 (equivalent to US$659,813) was charged by the bank as interest. The cash received is recorded as a short-term bank loan. The interest charges are amortized during the period of the short-term bank loan. The loan was paid off in May 2013.
 
In April 2013, Yongye Nongfeng obtained a short-term bank loan of RMB 100,000,000 (equivalent to US$16,276,307) with fixed annual interest rate of 7.28% from China Everbright Bank. The short-term bank loan is guaranteed by the Company’s Chairman and his wife, and is due on October 18, 2013.
 
In May 2013, Yongye Nongfeng entered three one-year “Factoring Contracts with Recourse” with China CITIC Bank of RMB 70,000,000 (equivalent to $11,393,415) for each contract, or in total RMB 210,000,000 (equivalent to US$34,180,244). The three “Factoring Contracts with Recourse” are secured by certain Yongye Nongfeng’s accounts receivable amounting to RMB 210,000,000 (equivalent to US$34,180,244). Two of the contracts bear fixed annual interest rate of 5.85% and one contract bears fixed annual interest rate of 5.7%.
   
 
13

 
In June 2013, Yongye Nongfeng obtained a short-term bank loan of RMB 60,000,000 (equivalent to US$9,765,784) with fixed annual interest rate of 7.8% from China CITIC Bank. The short-term bank loan is pledged by the land use right and building of Yongye Nongfeng, and is due on June 19, 2014.
 
In June 2013, Yongye Fumin obtained a short-term loan of RMB 80,000,000 (equivalent to $13,021,045) from Shandong International Trust Corporation. The loan bears fixed annual interest rate of 7.2%, is due in June 2014, and is guaranteed by Yongye Nongfeng , the Company’s Chairman and his wife.
 
In July 2013, Yongye Nongfeng obtained a short -term bank loan of RMB 25,000,000 (equivalent to $4,069,077) with fixed annual interest rate of 7.2% from Agricultural Bank of China. The short-term bank loan is pledged by the land use right of Inner Mongolia Yongye, and is due on July 17, 2014.

NOTE 12 - LONG-TERM LOANS AND PAYABLES
 
As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, long-term loans consisted of the following:
 
 
 
September 30, 2013
 
December 31, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Vehicle loans-employees
 
US$
52,557
 
US$
94,647
 
Vehicle loans-distributors
 
 
17,913,227
 
 
19,309,555
 
Total
 
US$
17,965,784
 
US$
19,404,202
 
 
As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, vehicle loans-employees of US$52,557 and US$94,647, respectively, were secured by vehicles with initial carrying amount of US$305,028 and US$376,005, respectively. The vehicle loans-employees are payable in monthly installments over three to five years. Interest rates on the loans range from 5.40% to 14.54% annually, and are subject to the change of the base interest rate prescribed by People’s Bank of China. The vehicle loans were obtained by individual employees of the Company after the Company made the initial down payment of the purchase price of the vehicles. The Company and the individual employees entered into trust agreements that stipulate that (i) the vehicles are legally registered under the individuals’ name, (ii) the Company has the rights of official use, (iii) the Company has the rights to the legal title of the vehicles at all times and is entitled to change the registered owner to the Company or designated third party at any time, (iv) the Company assumes the risk of loss, damage, penalty and other obligations related to the operation and ownership of the vehicle to the extent that the loss or damages were not caused by the individuals’ improper use of the vehicle, (v) the individuals have no right to sell, lease, lend or pledge the vehicles to any other person or entity, and (vi) the Company is obligated to repay the loans in full, and to bear the costs of the related repairs, maintenance, insurance and taxes. Consequently, the Company has recognized the cost of the vehicles as distributor vehicles and the loans as liabilities in its consolidated balance sheet.
 
Vehicle loans-distributors represented loans that were initially obtained by the distributors from banks and financial institutions. The Company and the distributors entered into agreements, pursuant to which the Company would assume the full repayment of the loans on behalf of these distributors in exchange for the distributors agreeing to comply with certain sales conditions (See Note 10). The loans have two or three years terms and are payable in monthly installments. Interest rates on the loans range from 5.40% to 18.24% annually, subject to the change of the base interest rate prescribed by People’s Bank of China.
 
The aggregate maturities of the long-term loans and payables for each of the five years subsequent to September 30, 2013 are: US$9,803,306, US$3,345,977, US$4,675,537, US$109,949, and US$31,015, respectively.

NOTE 13- CAPITAL LEASES
 
As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, vehicles were acquired under capital leases with a lease term of 5 years (See Note 6).
 
The following is an analysis of the vehicles acquired under capital leases.
 
 
 
September 30, 2013
 
December 31, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Vehicles
 
US$
3,026,170
 
US$
2,617,541
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization
 
 
450,883
 
 
62,167
 
 
 
US$
2,575,287
 
US$
2,555,374
 
 
14

 
 
The following is a schedule by years of future minimum lease payments under capital leases and the present value of the minimum lease payments as of September 30, 2013.
 
Year ending September 30:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2014
 
US$
872,778
 
2015
 
 
872,778
 
2016
 
 
872,778
 
2017
 
 
872,778
 
2018
 
 
231,907
 
Total minimum lease payments
 
 
3,723,019
 
Less: Amount representing interest
 
 
907,328
 
Present value of minimum lease payments
 
 
2,815,691
 
 
 
 
 
 
Classification on consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2013:
 
 
 
 
Capital lease obligations - current portion
 
 
505,449
 
Capital lease obligations - non-current
 
 
2,310,242
 

NOTE 14- ACCRUED EXPENSES
 
Accrued expenses at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 consisted of the following:
 
 
 
September 30, 2013
 
December 31, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Research and development costs
 
US$
7,583,198
 
US$
11,010,670
 
Promotion expenses
 
 
2,339,737
 
 
10,075,999
 
Advertising costs
 
 
1,579,033
 
 
5,645,064
 
Freight charges
 
 
782,218
 
 
2,155,800
 
Accrued payroll
 
 
1,166,373
 
 
643,700
 
Others
 
 
1,051,490
 
 
1,858,397
 
Total
 
US$
14,502,049
 
US$
31,389,630
 
 
Accrued expenses mainly related to services provided by vendors, for which payments are due within one year. These accrued expenses were determined based on the contract amounts specified in the agreements with the vendors.

NOTE 15- OTHER PAYABLES
 
Other payables as of September 30, 2013 mainly represented payables of US$371,132 for the expansion construction of the production plant in Yongye Fumin and non income tax payables of US$1,380,299. Other payables as of December 31, 2012 mainly represented payable of US$1,463,905 for the expansion construction of the production plant in Yongye Fumin and non income tax payables of US$491,042.

NOTE 16- EQUITY FINANCING
 
Capital stock
 
Concurrent with the Share Exchange, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement on April 17, 2008 with certain investors (the “April Investors”) for the sale in a private placement of an aggregate of 6,495,619 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value US$0.001 per share (the “April Investor Shares”) and 1,623,905 warrants (See below) for aggregate gross proceeds equal to US$10,000,651 (the “April Offering”).
 
On September 5, 2008, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain investors (the “September Investors”), for the sale in a private placement of an aggregate of 6,073,006 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value US$0.001 per share (the “September Investor Shares”) and 1,518,253 warrants (See below) for aggregate gross proceeds equal to approximately US$9,350,000 (the “September Offering”).
 
 
15

 
On May 8, 2009, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain investors (the “May Investors”), for the sale in a private placement of an aggregate of 5,834,083 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value US$0.001 per share (the “May Shares”) for aggregate gross proceeds equal to US$8,984,595 (the “May Offering”).
 
On December 17, 2009, the Company entered into an underwriting agreement with Roth Capital Partners, LLC (“Roth”) and Oppenheimer and Company Inc. (the “Underwriters”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell 8,000,000 shares of common stock (the “Firm Stock”), par value US$0.001 per share, to the Underwriters at a price per share of US$7.50 (the “December Offering”). The sale of the Firm Stock was priced on December 17, 2009 and closed on December 22, 2009. The aggregate proceeds from the offering were US$60,000,000. Underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses were US$3,692,000 and were recorded as a reduction of additional paid-in capital.
 
The Company also granted the Underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 1,200,000 shares to cover over-allotments, if any, at the same price as the Firm Stock. On December 31, 2009, the Underwriters agreed to purchase the over-allotment for gross proceeds of US$9,000,000, which, after net of commissions and discounts of US$450,000, was received on January 4, 2010.
 
In connection with the acquisition of Customer List (See Note 7) in July 2010, the Company issued 3,600,000 shares of its common stock to the Seller as part of the consideration.
 
In October 2010, the Company granted 1,183,667 restricted shares to management and independent directors of the Company in accordance with the Yongye International, Inc. 2010 Omnibus Securities and Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), as an incentive to such individuals to promote the success of the Company’s business. Management was granted 1,137,000 shares on October 8, 2010, and the independent directors were granted 46,667 shares on October 15, 2010. The shares vested in April 2011.
 
On October 10, 2011, the Company granted 1,166,333 restricted shares to management and independent directors of the Company in accordance with the Plan, as an incentive to such individuals to promote the success of the Company’s business. The shares vested in October 2012.
 
Redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares
 
In May 2011, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with MSPEA, an affiliate of Morgan Stanley, and Full Alliance, the Company’s largest shareholder. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, on June 9, 2011, the Company issued 5,681,818 shares of redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares to MSPEA for gross proceeds of US$50 million. The redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares are convertible into common stock of the Company at an initial conversion price of US$8.80, subject to further adjustments as discussed below.
 
In June 2012, 397,727 shares redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares were issued to MSPEA as paid-in-kind dividends. Total fair value of the paid-in-kind dividends as of the declaration and issuance date was US$1,808,667.
 
In June 2013, 425,568 shares redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares were issued to MSPEA as paid-in-kind dividends. Total fair value of the paid-in-kind dividends as of June 9, 2013 was US$3,504,983. The estimated fair value of the paid-in-kind dividends was determined using Monte Carlo Simulation Model. Assumptions used to calculate the fair value were as follows:
 
 
 
June 9, 2013
 
 
June 9, 2012
 
Expected term in years
 
 
3 years
 
 
 
4 years
 
Risk-free interest rates
 
 
0.87
%
 
 
0.62
%
Volatility
 
 
57.1
%
 
 
64.6
%
Dividend yield
 
 
0
%
 
 
0
%
Fair value of underlying common shares (per share)
 
US$
5.32
 
 
US$
2.97
 
Fair value of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares (per share)
 
US$
8.24
 
 
US$
4.55
 
 
 
16

   
The significant terms of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares are as follows:
 
Liquidation Preference
 
In the event of liquidation, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares then outstanding shall be entitled to receive, out of the assets of the Company available for distribution to its stockholders before any payment shall be made to the holders of the common stock, with respect to each outstanding share of redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares, an amount equal to the greater of (i) the original issue price, representing US$8.80 per share of redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares, plus (a) all accrued but unpaid preferred dividends and (b) other declared but unpaid dividends on redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares, and (ii) such amount per share as would have been payable had all shares of redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares been converted into common stock immediately prior to such liquidation.
 
If upon liquidation, the assets of the Company available for distribution to its stockholders shall be insufficient to pay the holders of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares the full liquidation preference to which they shall be entitled in accordance with the above, the holders of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares shall share ratably in any distribution of the assets available for distribution in proportion to the respective amounts which would otherwise be payable in respect of the shares held by them upon such distribution if all amounts payable on or with respect to such shares were paid in full.
 
Dividends
 
The holders of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares shall be entitled to receive paid-in-kind dividends in additional shares of redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares, on each anniversary of the Issuance Date. The calculation of paid-in kind dividends is based on the number of shares of redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares held by such holders on such anniversary multiplied by an annual dividend rate determined on such anniversary in accordance with the formula set forth below (the “Preferred Dividend Rate”), compounded annually:
 
Preferred Dividend Rate is defined as 7% - [(VWAP - 8.8) x 2 / 310], where VWAP means one-year volume weighted average share price of the Company during the 365-day period immediately prior to the applicable anniversary of Issuance Date, provided that the preferred dividend rate should not exceed 7% per annum and shall not fall below 3% per annum.
 
In addition, the holders of redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares should also receive, on an as-converted basis, any dividends or distributions that the Company declares to the holders of common stock.
 
Conversion
 
At any time after issuance, each holder of any shares of redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares then outstanding may, at such holder’s option, elect to convert all or any portion of the shares of redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares held by such holder into a number of fully paid and non-assessable shares of common stock. The initial conversion price is US$8.80 per share and is subject to customary anti-dilution adjustments for issuances of shares of common stock as a dividend or distribution on shares of the common stock, or mergers or reorganizations or future issuances of other Company’s securities at a price lower than the then applicable conversion price. Additionally, the conversion price is subject to upward or downward adjustments, depending upon the Actual Net Income (as defined below) being greater than or lower than the Cumulative Net Income Guarantee (as defined below) of the corresponding period, provided that (i) the conversion price, as adjusted, shall not exceed US$15.00 per share, and (ii) the sum of all shares of common stock issuable to the holders of redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares as a result of conversions, dividends, or distributions, or common stock acquired shall not exceed 9,869,205, or 19.99% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on May 29, 2011, which is the date the Company entered into the securities purchase agreement for the issuance of redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares.
 
The Actual Net Income means, in respect of any fiscal year or quarter, the consolidated net income of the Company for such fiscal year or quarter (as applicable), after all charges and provisions for taxes and minority interests and adjusted to exclude certain items, as audited (for fiscal years) or reviewed (for fiscal quarters) in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
 
The Cumulative Net Income Guarantee is defined as: US$84 million for fiscal 2011, US$210 million for the cumulative period of fiscal 2011 through fiscal 2012, US$399 million for the cumulative period of fiscal 2011 through fiscal 2013, and US$682.5 million for the cumulative period of fiscal 2011 through fiscal 2014.
 
 
17

 
Automatic Conversion
 
On the fifth anniversary of the Issuance Date of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares, all redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares will automatically convert into common stock at the then applicable conversion price.
 
Voting Rights
 
The holders of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares are entitled to vote upon all matters upon which the holders of common stocks have the right to vote, such votes to be counted together with all other shares of stock having general voting powers and not separately as a class. Each holder of the outstanding redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares shall be entitled to cast the number of votes, which is equal to the number of votes that would be attributable to the shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares.
 
Redemption
 
The holders of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares have the right to require the Company to redeem all or a portion of the outstanding redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares upon the occurrence of any of the following conditions: (i) a material breach by any of the Company and Full Alliance of any of the key obligations under the securities purchase agreement and related transaction documents, (ii) the failure to remain current in the Company’s securities filings, (iii) the failure to obtain the Exploration Right (See Note 9) and recover amounts paid for such rights, on or prior to September 30, 2012, and (iv) the discontinuation of Mr. Zishen Wu as CEO of the Company prior to December 31, 2014, unless his cessation of duties results from his death, disability or incapacity. In such cases, the redemption price for the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares would be equal to an amount that would yield a total internal rate of return of 30% on the purchase price of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares. 

The holders of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares also have the right to redeem all or a portion of their redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares if (i) the quotient of the Company’s aggregate earnings per share in any six rolling consecutive quarters from the first quarter of 2010 onwards divided by the aggregate amount of the earnings per share of the corresponding periods in the prior year is less than 120%, and (ii) net income (as adjusted for exclusion of certain items as defined in the securities purchase agreement) of any fiscal year between 2011 and 2014 is less than the relevant Income Threshold for such year. In such cases, the redemption price for the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares would be equal to an amount that would yield a total internal rate of return of 20% on the purchase price of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares. The “Income Threshold” is defined as: US$75 million for the fiscal year 2011, US$101 million for the fiscal year 2012, US$121 million for the fiscal year 2013 and US$145 million for the fiscal year 2014, subject to certain adjustments caused by future issuances of the Company’s securities that have a dilutive effect on the holders of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares.
 
Based on the historical income level, year to date income (as adjusted for exclusion of certain items) and projected net income (as adjusted for exclusion of certain items) and earnings per share for the next two years, management believes it is not probable that the Series A convertible preferred shares are redeemable as at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012. The Company assesses the probability of whether the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares are redeemable at each reporting period end.
 
Warrants
 
Concurrent with the April Investor Shares, the Company issued 1,623,905 warrants to purchase 1,623,905 shares of the Company’s common stock (the “April Warrants”) to the April Investors. The warrants issued have a five-year exercise period with an initial exercise price of US$1.848. In addition, 649,562 warrants were issued to Roth as the placement agent with terms and exercise price identical to the warrants issued to the April Investors.
 
Concurrent with the September Investor Shares, the Company issued 1,518,253 warrants to purchase 1,518,253 shares of the Company’s common stock (the “September Warrants”) to the September Investors. The warrants issued have a five-year exercise period with an initial exercise price of US$1.848. In addition, 607,301 warrants were issued to Roth as the placement agent with terms and exercise price identical to the warrants issued to the September Investors.
 
On September 12, 2008, Roth executed an irrevocable cashless exercise of its warrants and was issued 686,878 shares of common stock of the Company. In exchange for the issuance of 354,987 shares, Roth surrendered 649,562 warrants received in the April Offering; and in exchange for the issuance of 331,891 shares, Roth surrendered 607,301 warrants received in the September Offering.
 
 
18

 
Concurrent with the offering of the “May Shares”, the Company issued to Roth as the placement agent, 246,224 warrants (“May Warrants”). The warrants have a five-year exercise period and an initial exercise price of US$1.848. On November 9, 2009, Roth executed an irrevocable cashless exercise of all the “May Warrants”. The Company issued 198,247 shares of common stock of the Company in exchange for the surrender of all the May Warrants.
 
According to the terms of these warrants, the Company could be required to pay cash to the warrant holders under certain events that are not within the control of the Company.  Specifically, upon the occurrence of certain “fundamental transactions” as defined, the warrant holders (but not the shareholders of the Company’s common stock) are entitled to receive cash equal to the value of the warrants to be determined based on an option pricing model and certain specified assumptions set forth in the warrant agreement.  In addition, the terms of the warrants include a “down-round” provision under which the exercise price could be affected by future equity offerings undertaken by the Company.  If the Company issues any common stock or common stock equivalents, as defined, at any time the warrants are outstanding, at an effective price less than the then warrant exercise price, the exercise price of warrants will be reduced to the effective price of newly issued common stock or common stock equivalents.  In the “May Offering”, the Company issued new common stock at a price of US$1.54 per share and accordingly, the exercise price of the April Warrants and the September Warrants was reduced to US$1.54 per share.  The exercise price of the May Warrants (US$1.848) was not affected but is also subject to potential down-round adjustments in future periods.
 
During the year ended December 31, 2009, 2,939,183 “April Warrants” and “September Warrants” were exercised by certain April Investors and September Investors, some of whom elected cashless exercise. In connection with the exercise, the Company issued 2,539,653 shares of common stock and received US$526,611 from warrant holders that cash exercised.
 
During the year ended December 31, 2010, 54,803 April Warrants” and September Warrants” were exercised by certain April Investors and September Investors. In connection with the exercise, the Company issued 54,803 shares of common stock and received US$84,397 from warrant holders that cash exercised.
 
During the year ended December 31, 2011, no April Warrants” and September Warrants” were exercised by April Investors and September Investors.
 
During the year ended December 31, 2012, 66,982 “April Warrants” and “September Warrants” were exercised by April Investors and September Investors. In connection with the exercise, the Company issued 66,982 shares of common stock and received $103,115 from warrant holders that cash exercised.
 
As of December 31, 2012, there were 81,190 warrants outstanding, which were exercised in January 2013. In connection with the exercise, the Company issued 81,190 shares of common stock and received $125,014 from warrant holders that cash exercised. As of September 30, 2013, there were no warrants outstanding.
 
The potential cash payments and the down-round provision preclude the classification of these warrants as equity. Accordingly, the warrants are accounted for as a liability and adjusted to fair value through earnings at each reporting date. The loss resulting from the increase in fair value of warrants was nil and US$203,851 for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The loss resulting from the increase in fair value of warrants was nil and US$134,564 for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
 
The estimated fair values of the warrants issued to April Investor and September Investor were determined at December 31, 2012 using Binominal Option Pricing Model with Level 2 inputs. The following table sets forth, by level within the fair value hierarchy, the Company’s financial liabilities that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2012.
 
 
 
Fair Value Measurements Using:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Quoted Prices in 
Active Markets for 
Identical Financial 
Assets and Liabilities
 
Significant Other 
Observable Inputs
 
Significant 
Unobservable Inputs
 
December 31, 2012
 
Total
 
Level 1
 
Level 2
 
Level 3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Liabilities at fair value:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Derivative liabilities-warrants
 
US$
348,364
 
-
 
US$
348,364
 
-
 
 
 
19

 
The fair values of the warrants are summarized as follows:
 
 
 
April Warrants
 
September Warrants
 
Fair value of warrant per share (US$) at:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Date of issuance
 
US$
1.07
 
US$
2.08
 
December 31, 2012
 
 
-
 
 
4.29
 
 
The fair values of the warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2012 were determined based on the Binominal option pricing model, using the following key assumptions:
 
 
 
December 31, 2012
 
 
 
April 
Warrants
 
September 
Warrants
 
Expected volatility
 
 
-
 
 
45
%
Expected dividends yield
 
 
-
 
 
0
%
Time to maturity
 
 
-
 
 
0.7 years
 
Risk-free interest rate per annum
 
 
-
 
 
0.063
%
Fair value of underlying common shares (per share)
 
US$
5.83
 
US$
5.83
 
 
Stock-based compensation
 
Pursuant to the Plan, which was approved by the stockholders of the Company in the annual meeting held on June 11, 2010, the Company was authorized to issue up to 2,350,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to selected executives, key employees and directors. The number of shares of the Company’s common stock that can be issued is limited to an aggregate of 1,500,000 shares in any calendar year. The purpose of the Plan is to provide incentives to such individuals to promote the success of the Company’s business.
 
In October 2010, the Company granted 1,183,667 unvested shares to management and independent directors of the Company in accordance with the Plan. Management was granted 1,137,000 shares on October 8, 2010, and the independent directors were granted 46,667 shares on October 15, 2011. The unvested shares vested in April 2011.
 
In October 2011, the Company granted 1,166,333 unvested shares to management and independent directors of the Company in accordance with the Plan. Management was granted 1,073,000 shares, and the independent directors were granted 93,333 shares on October 10, 2011. The unvested shares vested in October 2012.
 
The total stock-based compensation cost recognized in the general and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 were US$ nil and US$1,225,478, respectively. The total stock-based compensation cost recognized in the general and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 were US$ nil and US$3,649,794, respectively.

NOTE 17 - STATUTORY RESERVE
 
Yongye Nongfeng and Yongye Fumin are required to allocate at least 10% of its after tax profits as determined under generally accepted accounting principle in the PRC to a statutory surplus reserve until the reserve balance reaches 50% of its registered capital. For the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, Yongye Nongfeng and Yongye Fumin made appropriations to this statutory reserve of US$17,329,019, and US$8,583,748, respectively. The accumulated balance of the statutory reserve of Yongye Nongfeng and Yongye Fumin as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 was US$49,960,502 and US$32,631,483, respectively.
 
In accordance with the PRC laws and regulations, Yongye Nongfeng and Yongye Fumin are restricted in its ability to transfer a portion of its net assets to the Company in the form of dividends, which amounted to US$47,462,477, representing the amount of accumulated balance of statutory reserve of Yongye Nongfeng and Yongye Fumin attributable to the Company as of September 30, 2013.
   
 
20

 
 
NOTE 18 - INCOME TAXES
 
Effective from January 1, 2008, the PRC’s statutory income tax rate is 25%. The Company’s PRC subsidiaries are subject to income tax rate of 25%, unless otherwise specified. During the year ended December 31, 2011, Yongye Nongfeng received a High-Tech Enterprise Certificate which entitles it to a preferential tax rate of 15% for three years starting from January 1, 2010. Subject to renewal, Yongye Nongfeng’s High-Tech Enterprise status will enable it to enjoy the preferential income tax rate of 15% from 2013 to 2015. Management believes that Yongye Nongfeng meets all the criteria for the renewal of High-Tech Enterprise status. Pursuant to an approval from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region National Tax Authority on November 26, 2012, Yongye Fumin, a foreign investment enterprise located in the Western Region of the PRC, was entitled to a preferential income tax rate of 15% retrospectively effective from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2020.
 
The Company’s effective income tax rates for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 were 16.13% and 18.91%, respectively, and were 15.90% and 17.97% for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012. The effective income tax rate of PRC entities for the three months ended September 30, 2013 differs from the PRC statutory income tax rate of 25% primarily due to the effect of Yongye Nongfeng’s and Yongye Fumin’s preferential tax treatment and the effect of non-deductible expenses.
 
There has been no change in unrecognized tax benefits during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013. In addition, the Company does not expect that the amount of unrecognized tax benefits will change significantly within the next 12 months. No interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits was recorded for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013.

NOTE 19 - FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
 
The fair values of the financial instruments as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 represent the estimated amounts that would be received to sell those assets or that would be paid to transfer those liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at that date. The fair value measurements maximize the use of observable inputs. However, in situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability at the measurement date, the fair value measurement reflects the Company’s own judgments about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Those judgments are developed by the Company based on the best information available in the circumstances, including expected cash flows and appropriately risk-adjusted discount rates, available observable and unobservable inputs.
 
The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments:
 
Cash, restricted cash, accounts receivable, other receivables, short-term bank loans, long-term loans and payables - current portion, accounts payable, accrued expenses and other payables: The carrying amounts approximate fair value because of the short maturity of these instruments.
 
Derivative liabilities: The method and assumptions used to estimate the fair value of derivative liabilities are set out in Note 16.
 
Long-term loans and payables: The fair value of the Company’s long-term loans and payables is estimated by discounting future cash flows using current market interest rates offered to the Company and its subsidiaries for debts with substantially the same characteristics and maturities, and which approximated to its carrying amount as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012.

NOTE 20 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
 
In December 2010, the Company entered into an operating lease for an office space in Beijing, PRC for the period from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2013. The lease expense for the Beijing office was US$67,654 and US$65,939 for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and was US$201,263 and US$198,060 for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively. As of September 30, 2013, the minimum lease payment under non-cancellable operating lease agreement for the following year is US$67,891. There is no minimum lease payment in the next second, third, fourth and fifth year.
 
On May 26, 2011 and June 3, 2011, the Company and three of its officers and directors were named in putative class action lawsuits filed in the US Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging, among other things, that the Company and such officers and directors issued false and misleading information to investors about the Company’s financial and business condition. These securities class action complaints generally alleged that the Company’s business was not growing at the rate it represented and that the Company’s financial results as reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission were inconsistent with its production capabilities. On March 5, 2012, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed this action with prejudice as to themselves as named plaintiffs.
 
 
21

 
On or about October 18, 2012 and October 22, 2012, five shareholder class action complaints were filed against the Company and certain officers and directors thereof in connection with the preliminary, non-binding proposal letter dated October 15, 2012, from Mr. Zishen Wu, MSPEA and Abax Global Capital (Hong Kong) Limited, to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of the Company not already owned by those parties, in a going private transaction for $6.60 per share of common stock in cash, subject to certain conditions (the “ Wu Proposal ”). The five complaints are captioned, respectively, Doherty v. Yongye International, Inc., et al., A-12-670343-C; Kirby v. Zishen Wu, et al. , A-12-670468-C; Calisti v. Zishen Wu, et al., Case No. A-12-670758-B; Kong, et al. v. Zishen Wu, et. al., Case No. A-12-670874-B; and Harris v. Yongye International, Inc., et al. , Case No. A-12-670817-B.. Each of the complaints was filed in Nevada state court in the District Court, Clark County, and each challenged the Wu Proposal, alleging among other things, that the consideration to be paid in such proposal was inadequate, as was the process by which the proposal was being evaluated. The complaints sought, among other relief, to enjoin defendants from consummating the Wu Proposal and to direct defendants to exercise their fiduciary duties to obtain a transaction that is in the best interests of all of the Company’s shareholders. On or about March 5, 2013, the plaintiff in the Doherty case filed a notice of voluntary dismissal. By stipulation and order, filed on April 23, 2013, the remaining cases were consolidated for all purposes under the caption In re Yongye International, Inc. Shareholders’ Litigation, Case No. A-12-670468-B (the “Consolidation Order”). Under the Consolidation Order, the plaintiffs were directed to file an consolidated complaint within 20 days of the announcement of a definitive merger agreement entered into in connection with any proposed going private transaction. On October 18, 2013 the parties stipulated, and the Court ordered, that the plaintiffs would file the consolidated complaint within 14 days of the filing of the preliminary proxy statement (the “Consolidation Stipulation”). The preliminary proxy statement was filed on October 28, 2013, and the consolidated complaint was filed on November 7, 2013. The Company has reviewed the allegations contained in the consolidated complaint and believes they are without merit. The Company intends to defend the litigation vigorously. As such, based on the information known to date, the Company does not believe that it is probable that a material judgment against it will result.

NOTE 21 - RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS AND BALANCES
 
On January 4, 2011, the Company entered into an operating lease with Inner Mongolia Yongye for a research and development activity facility in Beijing, PRC for the period from January 4, 2011 to December 31, 2011. A new operating lease was entered on January 4, 2012 for the period from January 4, 2012 to December 31, 2012 that covered a larger facility area. The operating lease was renewed on January 3, 2013 for the period from January 4, 2013 to December 31, 2013. The lease expense for the research and development facility paid to Inner Mongolia Yongye was US$64,878 and US$63,234 for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and US$193,007 and US$189,935 for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012.
 
In April 2012, Yongye Nongfeng obtained the short-term bank loan of RMB 100,000,000 (equivalent to US$15,938,541) with fixed annual interest rate of 8.528% from China Everbright Bank. The short-term bank loan is guaranteed by the Company’s Chairman and his wife, and is due on April 28, 2013. The loan was paid off in April 2013.
 
In April 2013, Yongye Nongfeng obtained a short-term bank loan of RMB 100,000,000 (equivalent to US$16,276,307) with fixed annual interest rate of 7.28% from China Everbright Bank. The short-term bank loan is guaranteed by the Company’s Chairman and his wife, and is due on October 18, 2013.
 
 
22

 
In June 2013, Yongye Fumin obtained a short-term loan of RMB 80,000,000 (equivalent to $12,943,518) from Shandong International Trust Corporation. The loan bears fixed annual interest rate of 7.20%, is due in June 2014, and is guaranteed by the Yongye Nongfeng, the Company’s chairman and his wife.
 
In July 2013, Yongye Nongfeng obtained a short -term bank loan of RMB 25,000,000 (equivalent to $4,069,077) with fixed annual interest rate of 7.2% from Agricultural Bank of China. The short-term bank loan is pledged by the land use right of Inner Mongolia Yongye, and is due on July 17, 2014.

NOTE 22 - EARNINGS PER SHARE
 
The following tables set forth the computation of basic earnings per share for the periods indicated:
 
 
 
For the Three Months Ended
 
 
 
September 30,   
2013
 
September 30, 
2012
 
Numerator:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income attributable to Yongye International, Inc.
 
US$
70,461,879
 
US$
16,820,079
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Paid-in-kind dividends on redeemable Series A convertible preferred
     shares
 
 
(945,747)
 
 
(752,223)
 
Earnings allocated to participating nonvested shares
 
 
-
 
 
(331,007)
 
Earnings allocated to participating redeemable Series A convertible preferred
     shares
 
 
(7,907,111)
 
 
(1,725,382)
 
Net income for basic earnings per share
 
 
61,609,021
 
 
14,011,467
 
Denominator:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Weighted average shares of common stock
 
 
50,685,216
 
 
49,370,711
 
Basic earnings per common stock
 
 
1.22
 
 
0.28
 
 
 
 
For the Nine Months Ended
 
 
 
September 30,   
2013
 
September 30, 
2012
 
Numerator:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income attributable to Yongye International, Inc.
 
US$
156,290,292
 
US$
74,312,232
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Paid-in-kind dividends on redeemable Series A convertible preferred
     shares
 
 
(2,853,109)
 
 
(711,784)
 
Earnings allocated to participating nonvested shares
 
 
-
 
 
(1,522,455)
 
Earnings allocated to participating redeemable Series A convertible preferred
     shares
 
 
(16,862,297)
 
 
(7,632,680)
 
Net income for basic earnings per share
 
 
136,574,886
 
 
64,445,313
 
Denominator:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Weighted average shares of common stock
 
 
50,680,160
 
 
49,370,711
 
Basic earnings per common stock
 
 
2.70
 
 
1.31
 
 
The holders of the redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares are entitled to receive cumulative paid-in-kind dividends in additional shares of redeemable Series A convertible preferred shares, on each anniversary of the Issuance Date (See Note 16) (“Cumulative Dividends”), and therefore net income attributable to Yongye International, Inc is reduced by dividends accumulated for each reporting period in the computation of basic earnings per share. At each reporting period prior to the dividends anniversary date, the fair value of the dividends accumulated is measured based on what it would be if the end of the reporting period was the dividend determination date. In June 2012, 397,727 shares of paid-in-kind dividends with a total fair value of the US$1,808,667 were issued to MPSEA. In June 2013, 425,568 shares of paid-in-kind dividends were issued to MSPEA with a total fair value of the $3,504,983.
 
 
23

 
The following tables set forth the computation of diluted earnings per share for the periods indicated:
 
 
 
For the Three Months Ended
 
 
 
September 30, 
2013
 
September 30, 
2012
 
Numerator:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income allocated to common stockholders as reported in basic EPS
 
US$
61,609,021
 
US$
14,011,467
 
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities
 
 
-
 
 
-
 
Net income for diluted earnings per share
 
 
61,609,021
 
 
14,011,467
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Denominator:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Weighted average shares of common stock as reported in basic EPS
 
 
50,685,216
 
 
49,370,711
 
Dilutive effect of warrants
 
 
-
 
 
-
 
 
 
 
50,685,216
 
 
49,370,711
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Diluted earnings per common stock
 
 
1.22
 
 
0.28
 
 
 
 
For the Nine Months Ended
 
 
 
September 30, 
2013
 
September 30, 
2012
 
Numerator:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income allocated to common stockholders as reported in basic EPS
 
US$
136,574,886
 
US$
64,445,313
 
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities
 
 
-
 
 
-
 
Net income for diluted earnings per share
 
 
136,574,886
 
 
64,445,313
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Denominator:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Weighted average shares of common stock as reported in basic EPS
 
 
50,680,160
 
 
49,370,711
 
Dilutive effect of warrants
 
 
-
 
 
-
 
 
 
 
50,680,160
 
 
49,370,711
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Diluted earnings per common stock
 
 
2.70
 
 
1.31
 
 
As of September 30, 2012, the Company had 148,172 warrants outstanding that could potentially dilute basic earnings per share in the future, but excluded in the computation of diluted earnings per share as their effect would have been anti-dilutive.

NOTE 23 - CONCENTRATIONS AND CREDIT RISKS
 
At September 30, 2013, the Company held cash in banks of approximately US$101,033,843 that is uninsured by the government authority. To limit exposure to credit risk relating to deposits, the Company primarily places cash deposits only with large financial institutions in the PRC with acceptable credit ratings.
 
Five major customers accounted for 30% and one major customer accounted for 6% of the Company’s total revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2013. Five major customers accounted for 47% and one major customer accounted for 10% of the Company’s total revenue for the three months ended September, 2012. Five major customers accounted for 39% and one major customer accounted for 10% of the Company’s total revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2013. Five major customers accounted for 47% and one major customer accounted for 12% of the Company’s total revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2012.
 
The Company’s total revenue to five major customers were US$69,028,099 and US$60,996,205 for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and US$223,678,717 and US$175,677,311 for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively. In addition, all these major customers are distributors in the PRC agriculture industry.
 
 
24

 
For the three months ended September 30, 2013
 
 
For the three months ended September 30, 2012
 
Largest  
Customers
 
Primary  
Provinces
 
Amount of Sales
 
% Total 
Sales
 
 
Largest  
Customers
 
Primary  
Provinces
 
Amount of Sales
 
% Total 
Sales
 
Customer A
 
Shandong
 
US$
14,362,247
 
6
%
 
Customer F
 
Inner Mongolia
 
US$
13,398,432
 
10
%
Customer B
 
Anhui
 
 
14,252,885
 
6
%
 
Customer G
 
Heilongjiang; Jilin; Liaoning
 
 
12,565,920
 
10
%
Customer C
 
Guangdong
 
 
14,226,558
 
6
%
 
Customer D
 
Henan
 
 
12,494,832
 
10
%
Customer D
 
Henan
 
 
13,332,144
 
6
%
 
Customer A
 
Shandong
 
 
11,517,491
 
9
%
Customer E
 
Hebei
 
 
12,854,265
 
6
%
 
Customer C
 
Guangdong
 
 
11,019,530
 
8
%
Total
 
 
 
US$
69,028,099
 
30
%
 
Total
 
 
 
US$
60,996,205
 
47
%
 
For the nine months ended September 30, 2013
 
 
For the  nine months ended September 30, 2012
 
Largest  
Customers
 
Primary  
Provinces
 
Amount of Sales
 
% Total 
Sales
 
 
Largest  
Customers
 
Primary  
Provinces
 
Amount of Sales
 
% Total 
Sales
 
Customer F
 
Inner Mongolia
 
US$
55,674,086
 
10
%
 
Customer F
 
Inner Mongolia
 
US$
43,515,383
 
12
%
Customer A
 
Shandong
 
 
44,692,976
 
8
%
 
Customer A
 
Shandong
 
 
35,356,819
 
9
%
Customer D
 
Henan
 
 
42,415,262
 
7
%
 
Customer D
 
Henan
 
 
33,383,567
 
9
%
Customer G
 
Heilongjiang; Jilin; Liaoning
 
 
41,171,588
 
7
%
 
Customer C
 
Guangdong
 
 
31,834,280
 
9
%
Customer C
 
Guangdong
 
 
39,724,805
 
7
%
 
Customer G
 
Heilongjiang; Jilin; Liaoning
 
 
31,587,262
 
8
%
Total
 
 
 
US$
223,678,717
 
39
%
 
Total
 
 
 
US$
175,677,311
 
47
%
 
Three major suppliers accounted for 71% (US$54,058,897), of which one major supplier accounted for 29% (US$22,084,536) of the Company’s inventory purchase for the three months ended September 30, 2013. Three major suppliers accounted for 70% (US$130,363,695), of which one major supplier accounted for 29% (US$54,737,848) of the Company’s inventory purchase for the nine months ended September 30, 2013. Three major suppliers accounted for 83% (US$43,352,117), of which one major supplier accounted for 30% (US$15,687,328) of the Company’s inventory purchase for the three months ended September 30, 2012. Three major suppliers accounted for 64% (US$102,742,276), of which one major supplier accounted for 28% (US$44,476,074) of the Company’s inventory purchase for the nine months ended September 30, 2012. If these suppliers terminate their supply relationship with the Company, the Company may be unable to purchase sufficient raw materials on acceptable terms which may adversely affect the Company’s results of operations.
 
The Company’s operations are carried out in the PRC. Accordingly, the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations may be influenced by the political, economic and legal environments in the PRC as well as by the general state of the PRC’s economy. In addition, the Company’s business may be influenced by changes in governmental policies with respect to laws and regulations, anti-inflationary measures, currency conversion and remittance abroad, rates and methods of taxation, and the extraction of mining resources, among other factors.
 
 
25

 
ITEM 2. 
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION.
 
The following discussion of the financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto. Except as otherwise indicated or as the context may otherwise require, all references to “we”, “the Company”, “us” and “our” refer to Yongye International, Inc. (formerly known as Yongye Biotechnology International, Inc.) and its consolidated subsidiaries. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements. The words or phrases “would be,” “will allow,” “expect to”, “intends to,” “will likely result,” “are expected to,” “will continue,” “is anticipated,” “estimate,” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements include those concerning our expected financial performance, our corporate strategy and operational plans. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, including: (a) those risks and uncertainties related to general economic conditions in China, including regulatory factors that may affect such economic conditions; (b) whether we are able to manage our planned growth efficiently and operate profitable operations, including whether our management will be able to identify, hire, train, retain, motivate and manage required personnel or that management will be able to successfully manage and exploit existing and potential market opportunities; (c) whether we are able to generate sufficient revenues or obtain financing to sustain and grow our operations; and (d) whether we are able to successfully fulfill our primary requirements for cash which are explained below under “Liquidity and Capital Resources”. Unless otherwise required by applicable law, we do not undertake, and we specifically disclaim any obligation, to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences, developments, unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statement.
 
Company Overview
 
We are a leading crop nutrient company in China in term of total sales in 2012. We are primarily engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and sales of fulvic acid based crop and animal nutrient products for the agriculture and stock farming industry. We are headquartered in Beijing with production facilities in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China (“Inner Mongolia”). Our products are sold nationwide in 30 provinces, autonomous regions and centrally-administered municipalities across China.
 
Products
 
Currently, our principal product is our liquid crop nutrient product, from which we derived substantially all of our sales for the year ended December 31, 2012. We also produce powder animal nutrient product, which is mainly used for dairy cows. In the first quarter of 2012, we launched two crop nutrient products, a crop seed nutrient product and a crop root nutrient product. The crop seed nutrient product helps crop seeds sprout and improves the growth of roots, and the crop root nutrient product improves crop roots’ ability to absorb water and fertilizers and enhance crop resistance against drought, freezing, diseases, and stalk leaning. We believe, by using our regular crop nutrient together with our crop seeds and roots products at different stages of crop growth, the combined effectiveness of our products will further enhance crop yield. We market our regular crop and animal products under the trade name “Shengmingsu” (“生命素 ” in Chinese means “Life Essential”). Our products for crop seeds and roots are named “Zhongbaosheng” and “Qianggenbao” respectively. We produce our liquid crop nutrient products, including the newly launched crop seed product and crop root product, based on our proprietary formulae utilizing fulvic acid as the primary compound base and combining with various micro nutrients such as zinc and boron, macro nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (“NPK”) and other nutrients that are essential for the crop health. Our crop nutrient’s core fulvic acid compound improves crop yield by enhancing the absorption of fertilizers and micro nutrients. In addition, the micro nutrients and NPK included in our crop nutrient formula serve as supplements during key growth stages of crops. We believe that our crop nutrient products are particularly well-suited for use in China, which generally has highly degraded farming soil as a result of over-farming, decades of over-use of chemical fertilizers and less advanced farming practices compared with more developed nations. Our regular crop nutrient product is most commonly applied by directly spraying onto leaves of crops after dilution with water, and is typically used at certain critical growth stages of crops in addition to normal fertilizer application. Our crop seed nutrient product is used by soaking the seeds in our product after water dilution. Soaking time and proportions of water to product vary among different crops and users should follow our product specifications. At the time that a seeding crop is transplanted, our crop root nutrient is used by applying the product onto the crop roots after water dilution and blending with soil. After the transplant, the water-diluted crop root product is used to irrigate the crops at the roots. Soaking time and water-product proportions during and after transplanting varies and users should follow our product specifications.
 
 
26

 
The efficacy of fulvic acid for enhancing crop yield is well-documented by over 20 global research reports published by universities and institutions in the United States, China, Europe and other countries.  The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Scientific and Technology Bureau (“IMARSTB”) conducted an official assessment of our liquid crop nutrient product in 2008 and concluded that our product increases agricultural output, improves the utilization rate of fertilizer, enhances crop resistance to diseases and droughts.  In addition, the IMARSTB concluded that large scale experimentation in China has proven that our product can increase overall yields of staple crops, such as wheat and rice by 10-20%, and vegetables and fruits by 15-30%, while also improving product quality. Many other third parties also conducted tests on our product’s efficacy on different crops and geographical locations in China, and they have drawn similar conclusions as documented in the IMARSTB assessment.
 
Our powder animal nutrient product consists of our fulvic acid compound base, additional nutrients and Chinese herbs. Our animal products are currently targeted at and administered to dairy cows through mixture with cow feed.
 
Sales and Distribution
 
We employ a multi-tiered distribution model whereby we primarily sell our products to provincial-level distributors who sell to our end-customers either directly or indirectly through county-level and village-level distributors. We currently have 25 provincial-level distributors. For the most part, each distributor covers a single province, while the rest of them cover either multiple provinces or a portion of one province (in the case of Hebei and Xinjiang). We select our provincial-level distributors based on criteria including experience, reputation, network coverage and financial strength, and we usually enter into multi-year distribution contracts with them.  All of our contracts with provincial-level distributors include mutual exclusivity provisions whereby the provincial-level distributors are not allowed to distribute competing products, and we grant the distributor exclusive sales rights in the designated territory. We are careful to ensure that the sales territories of our provincial-level distributors do not overlap.
 
Our provincial-level distributors sell our products directly to county-level distributors, to key accounts, such as large farms, and farmers through promotional events. County-level distributors sell our products to independently owned Branded Retailers, which serve as village-level retailers of our products (“Branded Retailers”), large farms, and farmers through promotional events. Branded Retailers distribute our products directly to farmers in rural villages and towns. Most of them are privately owned individual agriculture stores while some have common ownership or belong to store chains. None of these Branded Retailers is owned or controlled by us. They are typically small in size and distribute a variety of agriculture-related products, including fertilizer, seeds and pesticides to farmers in the surrounding areas.
 
The following chart illustrates our multi-tiered distribution model:
 
 
 
 
27

 
To ensure consistent pricing and channel margins nationwide, Branded Retailers are typically granted exclusive sales rights for our products in their authorized territory at the village or town level. We also provide the Branded Retailers with our distinct signage with the “Yongye Shengmingsu” logo which typically comprises the entire exterior storefront of Branded Retailers. Branded Retailers normally display our products in prominent shelf spaces and they are responsible for providing technical support to farmers and setting up demonstration sites for our products.
 
 
28

 
As of September 30, 2013, our products were sold in 30 provinces, autonomous regions and centrally-administered municipalities across China. We sell our products to 25 provincial-level distributors, who then sell our products to 810 county-level distributors and 35,506 Branded Retailers. Our multi-tiered distribution model allows us to penetrate the vast and highly fragmented rural area of China by utilizing our internal sales team to manage and leverage thousands of sales personnel at our provincial-level distributors, county-level distributors and Branded Retailers. Our internal sales team actively manages our multi-tier distribution network by participating in major distributor sales activities and providing training presentations and seminars.
 
Raw Materials and Production
 
Our product’s core compound fulvic acid is extracted from humic acid, which is in turn derived from lignite coal.  Our production process primarily involves the extraction of fulvic acid and then blending it with macro and micro nutrients based on our patented formula. The molecular structure of fulvic acid is smaller than humic acid, which enables fulvic acid to be more easily absorbed by crop leaves.
 
Currently, our key raw materials for fulvic acid are lignite coal and humic acid purchased from third party suppliers, and the prices of lignite coal and humic acid are affected by factors such as market demand, quality and transportation cost. The humic acid we use comes from top grade lignite coal which is mined in Inner Mongolia and is typically sold on a per ton basis. We currently procure lignite coal from independent third party suppliers in Inner Mongolia for our manufacturing needs. Prior to 2011, the key raw material for our products was humic acid, which was procured from third party suppliers. Upon the completion of our Wuchuan Facility at the end of 2010, we have been able to produce the majority of our products by extracting fulvic acid in-house from lignite coal and no longer completely rely on humic acid from intermediaries. Other raw materials used in our products include chemicals used in our extraction and blending processes as well as macro and micro nutrients.
 
Fluctuations in raw material costs will affect our cost of sales and gross profit margin, and we may not be able to pass such increased costs on to our distributors and then to our end customers.
 
We have two production facilities in Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia, with one located in Jinshan Industrial Park (the “Jinshan Facility”) and one in Wuchuan County (the “Wuchuan Facility”).  Prior to the fourth quarter of 2010, the Jinshan Facility was our sole manufacturing facility and the Jinshan Facility uses purchased humic acid as the key raw material to produce our products.  Our Wuchuan Facility was completed in the fourth quarter of 2010 and directly utilizes lignite coal as the key raw material to produce fulvic acid and bypasses intermediaries from whom we used to purchase humic acid.
 
Currently, we procure lignite coal from independent third party suppliers in Inner Mongolia.  In March 2010, in order to secure a long-term supply of humic acid, we entered into an agreement to acquire a mineral resource project in Wuchuan County, Inner Mongolia.  In August 2011, Yongye Fumin, our wholly-owned subsidiary, obtained a Mineral Resource Exploration Permit for this project site in Wuchuan County, Inner Mongolia, which was issued by the Inner Mongolia Ministry of Land and Resources. Such approval granted us exclusive exploration rights for this project site for an initial period of three years beginning August 2, 2011.  We are in the process of applying for the governmental approval for the Mineral Right and are preparing for the relevant reports, including but not limited to a Geological Report and a Geological Exploration Report. In June 2012, we commenced a detailed exploration process to obtain a Geological Exploration Report. We believe the costs to be incurred in completing the remaining administrative procedures and obtaining government approvals are not significant. Upon the granting of the Mineral Right, we will be able to further vertically integrate our operations.
 
In the third quarter of 2012, our Wuchuan Facility increased its manufacturing capacity. After the capacity expansion, we now have a total of 70,000 tons of combined annual design production capacity at our Wuchuan and Jinshan Facilities. The major production processes for our crop and animal nutrient products are identical, and therefore production capacities for the two lines of products to a large extent are inter-changeable.
 
Because of the proprietary nature of our products and manufacturing processes, we customized the core production components of our manufacturing facilities to enable capacity flexibility.  Our design capacity is calculated by us based on key assumptions, including 300 days of operation in a year and normal manufacturing conditions.  Under actual manufacturing conditions and based on the seasonality in our business, our production facilities have the flexibility to adjust actual production to levels higher than our stated theoretical design capacities.
 
 
29

 
For the nine months ended September 30, 2013, our actual production output for liquid crop nutrient product was 40,393 tons and the actual output for powder animal nutrient was 1,189 tons.  We expect to continue to expand our production capacity as required to respond to increasing demand for our products in the future, including the planned construction of a new manufacturing facility.
 
Research and Development
 
Our research and development process begins with an internal evaluation of market demand for new types of products. After we initially identify market opportunities for new products, we will, either alone, or in cooperation with our research partners conduct research activities and develop new products. Once our research and development activities are complete, we make a final judgment regarding whether and when to bring the new product to market based upon a second evaluation of market demand, an estimate of the time and expense that will be required to obtain any necessary governmental approvals, the desirability for obtaining patents or feasibility of protecting our intellectual property by other means, and the results of market testing. The entire process normally takes anywhere from one to five years, depending on the product.
 
We are currently researching and market testing various customized products for crop and animals and our research and development expenses mainly consisted of field test expenses for new products, tests on different crops and tests in newly developed markets. We have already officially introduced two products for crop seeds and roots to the market in the first quarter of 2012. One product is to help crop seeds to sprout and grow, and the other is to improve crop roots’ ability to absorb water and fertilizers and to enhance crop resistance against drought, freezing, diseases, and stalk leaning. We are also examining market opportunities for introducing crop products specifically targeted at corn, peppers, wheat, rice, cucumbers, tomatoes, cotton, potatoes, sunflowers, grapes, tropical fruits and flowers, though no assurance can be given that we will ultimately bring to market the products that we are currently researching or market testing. As to animal products, we are market testing the products used for pig, chickens and sheep.
 
Intellectual Property
 
Our products are based on patented formulae that combine a fulvic acid base with other macro and micro nutrients.  Our formulations were designed to enhance crop yield by increasing absorption of fertilizer and micro nutrients and providing key micro nutrients and NPK in key growth stages of crops.  In addition, our engineers designed our manufacturing process to overcome technical barriers associated with the extraction of fulvic acid and the blending of our products on an industrial scale so that micro and macro nutrients in our products are water soluble and can be easily absorbed by crops after being sprayed on the leaves.  We were granted two 20-year invention patents by the State Intellectual Property Office in the PRC, effective from October 12, 2006 and October 21, 2005 respectively, that cover formulae for our liquid crop nutrient product and powder animal nutrient product, as well as the manufacturing processes for extraction and blending of our products.  In addition to seeking patent protection, we maintain proprietary know-how related to extraction and blending processes as trade secrets.
 
Marketing and Branding
 
Our end-customers make their purchase decisions primarily based on actual demonstrations of the efficacy of our product, typically over an entire growing season. Accordingly, our sales and marketing strategies primarily focus on local demonstration sites at which locally-grown crops are planted side-by-side with and without our liquid crop nutrient applied.  In executing our marketing strategy, Branded Retailers play a key role in setting up these demonstration sites, marketing our products and providing technical support to farmers.  Branded Retailers are typically trained by our distributors who receive regular and ongoing guidance from our sales and marketing and research and development teams.  In addition, we hold large-scale training programs in various locations annually where we invite Branded Retailers from around China to directly receive product, sales and marketing training.
 
In addition, our internal sales team frequently organizes presentations and seminars targeted at provincial-level and county-level distributors in order to convey our sales strategy effectively to them.  We also designed a series of incentive programs to motivate our distributors to drive performance and enhance their loyalty to our Company, including sending selected distributors to a Yongye-sponsored executive training program at Tsinghua University, one of China’s most prestigious academic institutions.
 
At the national level, we have been conducting a variety of marketing and branding campaigns to enhance our brand recognition among not only our end-customers but also our existing and potential distributors and Branded Retailers. We are amongst the very few companies in our industry that actively sponsor CCTV (China’s national TV channel) agricultural programs. We also use local TV stations, agricultural publications and newspapers to carry our advertisements. In addition, we are currently working with a national celebrity, Wang Baoqiang, as our spokesperson, to enhance our product image.
 
 
30

 
Recent Developments
 
On September 23, 2013, the Company entered into an agreement and plan of merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Full Alliance International Limited, a British Virgin Islands company (“Holdco”), Yongye International Limited, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Holdco (“Parent”), and Yongye International Merger Sub Limited, a Nevada corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”, together with the Company, Holdco and Parent, the “Parties” and any one of them a “Party”). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, upon the terms and subject to the conditions thereof, at the effective time of the merger, Merger Sub will be merged with and into the Company, the Company will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent and each of the Company’s shares of common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger will be converted into the right to receive US$6.69 in cash without interest, except for (i) shares owned by Holdco, Parent and Merger Sub, including shares of common stock and Preferred Shares to be contributed to Parent by Holdco, Mr. Zishen Wu, Prosper Sino Development Limited and MSPEA, immediately prior to the effective time of the merger pursuant to a contribution agreement, dated as of September 23, 2013, among Parent, Holdco, Mr. Zishen Wu, Prosper Sino Development Limited and MSPEA (except that, with respect to Prosper Sino, only such shares designated as “Prosper Sino rollover shares” in the preliminary proxy statement in connection with the special meeting of stockholders will be contributed), and (ii) shares of common stock held by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company((i) and (ii) collectively, the “Excluded Shares”), which will be cancelled for no consideration and cease to exist as of the effective time of the merger. Currently, Holdco, Mr. Zishen Wu, Prosper Sino Development Limited and MSPEA, collectively beneficially own approximately 33.1% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock, on an as converted basis.
 
The Merger Agreement contains representations and warranties of the Parties that are, in general, customary for a transaction of this type. The assertions embodied in those representations and warranties were made solely for purposes of the contract among the Parties and may be subject to important qualifications and limitations agreed to by the Parties in connection with the negotiated terms. Moreover, some of those representations and warranties may not be accurate or complete as of any specified date, may be subject to a contractual standard of materiality different from those generally applicable to investors or may have been used for purposes of allocating risk among the Parties rather than establishing matters as facts.
 
The Parties have also agreed to certain covenants, including covenants requiring the Company to conduct its business in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice in all material respects and use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve substantially intact its business organization and relationships with governmental authorities, customers, suppliers and other persons with which it has material business relations and keep available the services of its current officers and key employees through the effective time of the merger, except as expressly provided in the Merger Agreement.
 
The Merger Agreement also includes customary termination provisions for both the Company and Parent. In specified circumstances, if the Merger Agreement is terminated, the Company shall pay Parent a termination fee in the amount of $4,000,000 or $2,000,000, as applicable, or receive from Parent a termination fee in the amount of $10,000,000. The Merger Agreement also provides that if the required stockholder approvals shall not have been obtained at the stockholders’ meeting, Parent shall reimburse the Company’s expenses up to $2,000,000.
 
The Company’s Board of Directors, acting upon the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of the Board of Directors comprised solely of independent and disinterested directors (the “Special Committee”), approved and adopted the Merger Agreement and has recommended that the Company’s shareholders vote to approve the Merger Agreement. The Special Committee negotiated the terms of the Merger Agreement with the assistance of legal and financial advisors to the Special Committee.
 
The merger is subject to closing conditions including, but not limited to: (a) adoption of the Merger Agreement by the (i) affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock and preferred shares of the Company, voting together as a single class, with the number of votes the holders of preferred shares shall be entitled to vote equal to the number of shares of common stock into which such preferred shares are convertible, as determined in accordance with the articles of incorporation of the Company, (ii) affirmative vote or consent of the holders of at least a majority of the issued and outstanding preferred shares of the Company and (iii) affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the issued and outstanding shares (other than the Excluded Shares); (b) the absence of any order, injunction or decree preventing or making illegal the consummation of the merger; (c) the truth and correctness of each Party’s representations and warranties at closing (subject to materiality qualifiers); (d) the compliance of each Party with its covenants in all material respects, and (e) the absence of any material adverse effect on the Company. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the merger will be completed.
 
 
31

 
On October 28, 2013, the Company filed a Preliminary Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, as amended on November 6, 2013, together with a Schedule 13E-3, as amended on November 6, 2013, with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicating its intention to call a special meeting of its shareholders at a still to be specified date to vote on the Merger Agreement for the Company to go private.
 
If the merger is completed, the Company will cease to be a publicly traded company.
 
On November 1, 2013, the Company announced that it will hold its 2013 Annual Meeting of stockholders on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. (China Time). The 2013 Annual Meeting will be held at the Company's offices, located at Jinshan Economic Development Zone, Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia, the People’s Republic of China. Shareholders of record at the close of business on October 4, 2013 will be entitled to vote at the meeting. The main purposes of the 2013 Annual Meeting include the election of five directors, including Mr. Zishen Wu, Dr. Xiaochuan Guo, Mr. Sean Shao, Dr. Xindan Li, and Dr. Rijun Zhang; and the ratification of the appointment of KPMG as the Company’s independent accountants for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2013.
 
Factors affecting our operating results
 
Market Potential for Crop Nutrient Products in China
 
The long-term market growth of crop nutrient products in China is primarily driven by the need to improve crop yield to ensure sufficient food supply in view of limited and shrinking per capita arable land in China. Currently, with only approximately 9% of the world’s arable land, China needs to feed 1.3 billion people, or approximately 21% of the world’s population. According to the National Population and Family Planning Commission of China, China’s population will reach 1.5 billion by 2030. Therefore, the country faces the challenge of producing additional food to feed the additional 200 million people within the next 20 years. This puts great pressure on China’s agricultural system to increase production output.
 
 
 
Over-farming, decades of overuse of chemical fertilizers and less advanced farming practices have led to degraded soil quality in China. Although, according to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), China leads the world in fertilizer consumption, applying more fertilizers than the world average on a per hectare basis, nevertheless, the crop yield lags behind most developed countries. This creates a huge demand for crop nutrient products that can help improve fertilizer utilization and increase crop yield. Fulvic acid based crop nutrients are particularly well suited for the market, as it can allow crops to more effectively absorb fertilizers and minerals from the degraded soils.
 
 
The market for our crop nutrient product is large and has attractive long-term growth prospects. China has 1.8 billion mu (each mu is equivalent to approximately 667 square meters) of arable land in total. Typically, each mu of arable land requires at least 300 ml of our liquid crop nutrient product for one growing season. For the year of 2012, our crop nutrient product is estimated to have been used in approximately 5% of the arable land in China, assuming there is one and half growing season per annum on average for all the arable land across China.
 
Agriculture Sector
 
The agriculture industry in China enjoys favorable government policies. In past five years, the PRC government spent an aggregate of RMB4.47 trillion (US$709 billion) on agriculture, rural areas and farmers, at an average annual increase rate of 23.5%. In 2013, the government plans to spend RMB1.38 trillion (US$219 billion) on agriculture, rural areas and farmers, 11.4% higher than the amount in 2012. According to the 12th Five-Year National Economic and Social Plan (2011-2015) of China, the PRC government will continue to support the agriculture industry. Increasing agricultural production capacity and developing high-yield, high-quality and high-efficiency agriculture are the focus of the PRC government. Given our product’s ability to improve fertilizer utilization, increase crop yield, improve product quality, and enhance drought-resistance, we expect that we will further benefit from the PRC government’s agricultural policy.
 
 
32

 
In addition, agriculture continues to be a heavily invested sector in China. Brand name investors continue to invest into China’s agriculture industry because they have confidence in China’s long term outlook. The market volume for agricultural products is large, both for domestic sales and exports. This is driven by the growing domestic demand for higher quality food products and increased international reliance on food products from China. According to a statement given by President Xi Jinping in February 2012, China accounts for approximately one-fifth of the world’s population with less than 9 percent of its arable land. On March 4, 2013, China's central bank said that it granted more loans in 2012 to financial institutions in rural areas in order to support agriculture. The No.1 central document of 2013, outlining the PRC government’s plans for the year, stated that work should be done to accelerate the development of modern agricultural industry and strengthen both material and technical support for agricultural development.
 
Distribution Network
 
The agricultural goods market is very fragmented and spans over 600,000 villages in over 2,000 counties in over 30 provincial regions in China. As farmers in China tend to be less mobile, it is vital to distribute at the village-level in order to address this market. However, due to the scattered nature of China’s villages, it is necessary to work through county-level distributors in order to overcome barriers related to geography, local cultures and business networks. To sell to farmers through village retail stores, crop nutrient manufacturers typically work with provincial-level distributors to manage county-level distributors or work directly with county-level distributors.
 
In order to more rapidly achieve nationwide coverage, we have adopted a strategy to work with provincial-level distributors which in turn sell our products to county-level distributors, Branded Retailers and end-customers. We invest significantly in branding, training and technical support to motivate and maintain the long-term loyalty of our distributors and Branded Retailers, which is critical to successfully selling product through a multi-tier distribution network. Since we enter and expand into provincial regions at different times, our sales in different provincial markets vary due to different market penetration rates.
 
Our end-customers are comprised of large farms which purchase directly from distributors, and individual farmers who purchase either through Branded Retailers or promotional events held by local distributors. Our Branded Retailer network has been a key driver of our sales. The number of Branded Retailers increased from 35,409 as of June 30, 2013 to 35,506 as of September 30, 2013. Xinjiang, Guangdong and Heilongjiang/Jilin/Liaoning provinces accounted for the majority of newly recruited Branded Retailers.
 
Below is a table setting forth the expansion of our Branded Retailer network.
 
Branded Retailer by Region
 
Year End 2011
 
Q3 End 2012
 
Year End 2012
 
Q3 End 2013
 
Hebei/Beijing/Tianjin
 
 
3,935
 
 
4,431
 
 
4,578
 
 
4,660
 
Inner Mongolia
 
 
765
 
 
1,039
 
 
1,136
 
 
1,171
 
Shandong
 
 
3,358
 
 
3,391
 
 
3,434
 
 
3,455
 
Guangdong/Hainan
 
 
941
 
 
1,219
 
 
1,306
 
 
1,356
 
Henan
 
 
2,456
 
 
2,786
 
 
2,889
 
 
2,925
 
Heilongjiang/Jilin/Liaoning
 
 
2,180
 
 
2,358
 
 
2,533
 
 
2,589
 
Xinjiang
 
 
2,097
 
 
2,331
 
 
2,437
 
 
2,475
 
Hubei/Hunan
 
 
2,978
 
 
3,154
 
 
3,240
 
 
3,240
 
Gansu/Qinghai
 
 
920
 
 
822
 
 
865
 
 
869
 
Jiangsu
 
 
1,936
 
 
2,264
 
 
2,447
 
 
2,401
 
Shanxi
 
 
1,310
 
 
1,639
 
 
1,745
 
 
1,772
 
Anhui
 
 
1,420
 
 
1,441
 
 
1,494
 
 
1,508
 
Shaanxi
 
 
1,491
 
 
1,648
 
 
1,691
 
 
1,720
 
Sichuan/Chongqing
 
 
1,044
 
 
966
 
 
1,105
 
 
1,125
 
Jiangxi/Fujian
 
 
1,006
 
 
1,231
 
 
1,346
 
 
1,364
 
Yunnan/Guizhou
 
 
1,076
 
 
1,313
 
 
1,418
 
 
1,461
 
Zhejiang
 
 
252
 
 
467
 
 
510
 
 
519
 
Guangxi
 
 
472
 
 
465
 
 
508
 
 
520
 
Ningxia
 
 
441
 
 
325
 
 
368
 
 
368
 
Shanghai
 
 
8
 
 
8
 
 
8
 
 
8
 
Total
 
 
30,086
 
 
33,298
 
 
35,058
 
 
35,506
 
 
 
33

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Seasonality
 
Our regular liquid crop nutrient product is most commonly applied by directly spraying onto leaves of crops in the second and third quarters, which correspond to the growing seasons for most crops in most parts of China. Accordingly, the sales during the second and third quarters usually represent 70-80% of our total annual sales. Therefore, a higher volume of finished goods are usually accumulated during the non-peak seasons in preparation for the subsequent peak sales seasons, which will result in higher inventory turnover days during non-peak seasons. In the beginning of 2012, we launched two products which are positioned specifically for crop seeds and roots, the peak sales seasons of which fall in the first and second quarter.
 
Pricing
 
We principally sell to our provincial-level distributors at an ex-factory price, and they in turn sell to lower level distributors at distributor prices. Branded Retailers sell to farmers at our suggested retail prices. Our pricing policy is consistent across the country, and we require our provincial-level distributors to ensure this policy is followed by county-level distributors and Branded Retailers. Our pricing policy for ex-factory price, different level of distributor prices and suggested retail prices have generally remained stable for the past several years. In 2011 and 2012, we allowed Branded Retailers to charge a higher retail price for an updated version of our crop nutrient product that replaced the prior version.
 
In July 2010, we acquired a customer list and relationship of eight direct customers from our former provincial-level distributor in Hebei.  As a result, we have been able to directly sell products in Hebei province at a county-level distributor price after bypassing the former provincial-level distributor. We expect to maintain the higher selling price to those eight distributors in Hebei in the foreseeable future.
 
The pricing of the two crop seeds and roots products launched in 2012 is at the same level of our regular crop nutrient products. We may adjust our selling prices from time to time in the future based on then market conditions, and any such adjustments may affect our margins, market demand and financial results.
 
Competition
 
While we compete with both nationwide and local manufacturers of humic or fulvic acid crop nutrients, we believe that we are a clear market leader. The Chinese agriculture industry and the retail market for agricultural goods are highly fragmented. As of the end of October 2013, there were more than 4,000 fertilizer products registered in the PRC Ministry of Agriculture’s registry. We mainly compete directly with producers of humic or fulvic acid based products, of which there were around 1,000 registered as of the end of October 2013.
 
In addition to humic or fulvic acid based crop nutrient products, our nutrient products also compete with other liquid fertilizers applied on crop leaves, such as amino acid-based nutrients and other liquid fertilizers containing NPK or minerals as many farmers view such liquid fertilizers as a single product category.
 
We believe that with our proven product efficacy, premium brand and nation-wide distribution network, we are well positioned to maintain our leadership position in this market.
 
 
34

 
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
 
Summary Statement of Income Data
 
in US$, except for percentages
 
For the Three Months
Ended September 30,
 
For the Nine Months
Ended September 30,
 
For the Three Months Ended
September 30,
 
For the Nine Months
Ended September 30,
 
 
 
2013
 
2012
 
2013
 
2012
 
Variance
 
%
 
Variance
 
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sales
 
US$
223,239,572
 
US$
129,734,770
 
US$
569,845,463
 
US$
371,726,400
 
 
93,504,802
 
 
72.1
%
 
198,119,063
 
 
53.3
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost of sales
 
 
81,449,550
 
 
49,223,371
 
 
217,659,311
 
 
147,712,243
 
 
32,226,179
 
 
65.5
%
 
69,947,068
 
 
47.4
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gross profit
 
 
141,790,022
 
 
80,511,399
 
 
352,186,152
 
 
224,014,157
 
 
61,278,623
 
 
76.1
%
 
128,171,995
 
 
57.2
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Selling expenses
 
 
42,392,643
 
 
37,009,019
 
 
122,791,825
 
 
89,766,666
 
 
5,383,624
 
 
14.5
%
 
33,025,159
 
 
36.8
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Research and development expenses
 
 
5,446,115
 
 
5,160,458
 
 
17,792,133
 
 
14,054,000
 
 
285,657
 
 
5.5
%
 
3,738,133
 
 
26.6
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
General and administrative expenses (including a reversal of allowance for doubtful accounts of US$6,334,832 and nil for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively)
 
 
5,758,034
 
 
4,823,781
 
 
13,090,952
 
 
11,261,073
 
 
934,253
 
 
19.4
%
 
1,829,879
 
 
16.2
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Impairment loss of goodwill
 
 
-
 
 
10,748,731
 
 
-
 
 
10,748,731
 
 
(10,748,731)
 
 
-100.0
%
 
(10,748,731)
 
 
-100.0
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income from operations
 
 
88,193,230
 
 
22,769,410
 
 
198,511,242
 
 
98,183,687
 
 
65,423,820
 
 
287.3
%
 
100,327,555
 
 
102.2
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other income/(expenses)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest expense
 
 
(1,734,934)
 
 
(1,130,175)
 
 
(5,264,000)
 
 
(3,236,470)
 
 
(604,759)
 
 
53.5
%
 
(2,027,530)
 
 
62.6
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest income
 
 
2,337,234
 
 
312,206
 
 
2,944,330
 
 
447,616
 
 
2,025,028
 
 
648.6
%
 
2,496,714
 
 
557.8
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other (expenses) /income, net
 
 
(174,494)
 
 
(135,382)
 
 
(242,742)
 
 
(100,666)
 
 
(39,112)
 
 
28.9
%
 
(142,076)
 
 
141.1
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities
 
 
-
 
 
(203,851)
 
 
-
 
 
(134,564)
 
 
203,851
 
 
-100.0
%
 
134,564
 
 
-100.0
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total other income/(expenses), net
 
 
427,806
 
 
(1,157,202)
 
 
(2,562,412)
 
 
(3,024,084)
 
 
1,585,008
 
 
-137.0
%
 
461,672
 
 
-15.3
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Earnings before income tax expense
 
 
88,621,036
 
 
21,612,208
 
 
195,948,830
 
 
95,159,603
 
 
67,008,828
 
 
310.1
%
 
100,789,227
 
 
105.9
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income tax expense
 
 
14,295,663
 
 
4,084,473
 
 
31,148,754
 
 
17,096,901
 
 
10,211,190
 
 
250.0
%
 
14,051,853
 
 
82.2
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income
 
 
74,325,373
 
 
17,527,735
 
 
164,800,076
 
 
78,062,702
 
 
56,797,638
 
 
324.0
%
 
86,737,374
 
 
111.1
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Less: Net income attributable to the noncontrolling interest
 
 
3,863,494
 
 
707,656
 
 
8,509,784
 
 
3,750,470
 
 
3,155,838
 
 
446.0
%
 
4,759,314
 
 
126.9
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income attributable to Yongye International, Inc.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
US$
70,461,879
 
US$
16,820,079
 
US$
156,290,292
 
US$
74,312,232
 
 
53,641,800
 
 
318.9
%
 
81,978,060
 
 
110.3
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income per common stock:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
US$
1.22
 
US$
0.28
 
US$
2.70
 
US$
1.31
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Diluted
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
US$
1.22
 
US$
0.28
 
US$
2.70
 
US$
1.31
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
35

 
Review of Results of Operation for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2013
 
Our sales increased by 72.1% to US$223.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2013, from US$129.7 million for the same period of 2012. Our sales increased by 53.3% to US$569.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, from US$371.7 million for the same period of 2012. Among the revenue recognized in the quarter, $89 million was due to cash collection from certain distributors for sales made in prior quarters in 2012 and 2013. The Company recognizes revenue for those distributors on a cash collection basis, rather than a shipment basis. 
 
Our gross profit increased by 76.1% to US$141.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2013, from US$80.5 million for the same period of 2012. Our gross profit increased by 57.2% to US$352.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, from US$224.0 million for the same period of 2012. Gross profit margin was 61.8% for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, as compared to 60.3% for the same period of 2012.
 
Our net income attributable to Yongye International, Inc. increased by 318.9% to US$70.5 million, or US$1.22 per diluted share, for the three months ended September 30, 2013, from US$16.8 million, or US$0.28 diluted earnings per share, for the same period of 2012. Our net income attributable to Yongye International, Inc. increased by 110.3% to US$156.3 million, or US$2.70 per diluted share, for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, from US$74.3 million, or US$1.31 diluted earnings per share, for the same period of 2012. The increase was primarily due to collection for past sales and a one-time impairment loss of goodwill of $10.7 million the Company recorded in the third quarter of 2012.
 
Sales
 
Below is an analysis of our sales for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, as well as the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012.
 
Our sales increased by US$93.5 million, or 72.1%, to US$223.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2013, from US$129.7 million for the same period of 2012. For the three months ended September 30, 2013, we derived US$221.1 million, or 99.1% of our total sales, from liquid crop nutrient, and we derived US$2.1 million, or 0.9% of our total sales, from the powder animal nutrient products.
 
For the three months ended September 30, 2013, the average selling price (“ASP”) of our liquid crop nutrient product was US$12,551 per ton, as compared to US$11,705 per ton for the same period of 2012.
 
Our sales increased by US$198.1 million, or 53.3%, to US$569.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, from US$371.7 million for the same period of 2012. For the nine months ended September 30, 2013, we derived US$563.0 million, or 98.8% of our total sales, from liquid crop nutrient, and we derived US$6.8 million, or 1.2% of our total sales, from the powder animal nutrient products. For our liquid crop nutrient products, the regular crop nutrient contributed US$474.4 million, or 84.3% of total liquid crop nutrient sales, while the two products for crop seeds and roots contributed US$88.6 million, or 15.7% of our total liquid crop nutrient sales.
   
Our revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 significantly increased compared to the same period of 2012, primarily due to collection of past sales we made to certain distributors from whom we recognize revenue upon cash collection instead of shipment. The amount of products we shipped to our distributors in current quarter and during the nine months increased 3.5% and 19.8%, respectively.
 
36

 
The following table set forth the sales breakdown by region for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012:
 
Sales By Region (US$ million)
 
2013
Q3
 
2012
Q3
 
YoY
Change
In US$
 
YoY
Change in
%
 
2013 Nine
Months
 
2012 Nine
Months
 
YoY
Change
In US$
 
YoY
Change
in%
 
Hebei/Beijing/Tianjin
 
 
69.4
 
 
11.0
 
 
58.4
 
 
530.9
%
 
95.4
 
 
39.1
 
 
56.3
 
 
144.0
%
Inner Mongolia
 
 
16.2
 
 
13.4
 
 
2.8
 
 
20.9
%
 
59.1
 
 
48.5
 
 
10.6
 
 
21.9
%
Shandong
 
 
14.4
 
 
11.4
 
 
3.0
 
 
26.3
%
 
44.9
 
 
35.6
 
 
9.3
 
 
26.1
%
Guangdong/Hainan
 
 
14.3
 
 
11.0
 
 
3.3
 
 
30.0
%
 
39.7
 
 
31.8
 
 
7.9
 
 
24.8
%
Henan
 
 
13.3
 
 
12.5
 
 
0.8
 
 
6.4
%
 
42.4
 
 
33.4
 
 
9.0
 
 
26.9
%
Heilongjiang/Jilin/Liaoning
 
 
12.3
 
 
12.6
 
 
(0.3)
 
 
(2.4)
%
 
41.6
 
 
31.6
 
 
10.0
 
 
31.6
%
Xinjiang
 
 
9.7
 
 
2.0
 
 
7.7
 
 
385.0
%
 
22.4
 
 
6.1
 
 
16.3
 
 
267.2
%
Hubei/Hunan
 
 
5.9
 
 
0.6
 
 
5.3
 
 
883.3
%
 
22.5
 
 
3.9
 
 
18.6
 
 
476.9
%
Gansu/Qinghai
 
 
5.0
 
 
5.5
 
 
(0.5)
 
 
(9.1)
%
 
17.2
 
 
13.6
 
 
3.6
 
 
26.5
%
Jiangsu
 
 
10.5
 
 
10.2
 
 
0.3
 
 
2.9
%
 
30.7
 
 
24.7
 
 
6.0
 
 
24.3
%
Shanxi
 
 
4.5
 
 
5.1
 
 
(0.6)
 
 
(11.8)
%
 
15.9
 
 
13.1
 
 
2.8
 
 
21.4
%
Anhui
 
 
14.3
 
 
0.7
 
 
13.6
 
 
19.4x
 
 
30.6
 
 
4.6
 
 
26.0
 
 
565.2
%
Shaanxi
 
 
8.1
 
 
8.0
 
 
0.1
 
 
1.3
%
 
25.2
 
 
20.7
 
 
4.5
 
 
21.7
%
Sichuan/Chongqing
 
 
7.5
 
 
7.9
 
 
(0.4)
 
 
(5.1)
%
 
26.2
 
 
20.5
 
 
5.7
 
 
27.8
%
Jiangxi/Fujian
 
 
8.8
 
 
8.8
 
 
-
 
 
-
 
 
28.3
 
 
22.5
 
 
5.8
 
 
25.8
%
Yunnan/Guizhou
 
 
9.0
 
 
9.0
 
 
-
 
 
-
 
 
27.7
 
 
22.0
 
 
5.7
 
 
25.9
%
Guangxi
 
 
*
 
 
*
 
 
*
 
 
*
 
 
*
 
 
*
 
 
*
 
 
*
 
Total
 
 
223.2
 
 
129.7
 
 
93.5
 
 
72.1
%
 
569.8
 
 
371.7
 
 
198.1
 
 
53.3
%
 
* Less than US$50,000
 
Our revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 significantly increased compared to the same period of 2012, primarily due to collection for past sales we made to certain distributors from whom we recognize revenue on a cash collection basis instead of a shipment basis.
 
Production Output
 
Our production output for our liquid crop nutrient product was 17,201 tons for the three months ended September 30, 2013, and 40,393 tons for the nine months ended September 30, 2013. The inventory turnover was 113 days for the three months ended September 30, 2013 as compared to 196 days for the same period of 2012. The inventory turnover was 137 days for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 as compared to 180 days for the same period of 2012. As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, finished goods included US$38.4 million and US$46.1 million, respectively, of products that were sold and delivered to certain customers for which the related revenue was not recognized because collectability was not assured at time of shipment. The decrease in inventory of US$16.8 million was mainly due to the significant reduction of inventory stocking, and thus lower inventory turnover days during the nine months ended September 30, 2013.
 
During the three months ended September 30, 2013, we sold 17,620 tons of liquid crop nutrient products and 324 tons of powder animal nutrient products. During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, we sold 45,861 tons of liquid crop nutrient products and 1,054 tons of powder animal nutrient products. During the three months ended September 30, 2012, we sold 11,084 tons of liquid crop nutrient products and none of powder animal nutrient products. During the nine months ended September 30, 2012, we sold 31,232 tons of liquid crop nutrient products and 586 tons of powder animal nutrient products.
 
Cost of Sales
 
Our cost of sales increased by US$32.2 million, or 65.5%, to US$81.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2013, from US$49.2 million for the same period of 2012. Cost of sales increased by US$69.9 million, or 47.4%, to US$217.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, from US$147.7 million for the same period of 2012.
 
For the three months ended September 30, 2013, our cost of sales accounted for 36.5% of our total sales, as compared to 37.9% for the same period of 2012. For the nine months ended September 30, 2013, our cost of sales accounted for 38.2% of our total sales, as compared to 39.7% for the same period of 2012.
 
 
37

 
Gross Margin
 
Our gross margin was 63.5% for the three months ended September 30, 2013, as compared to 62.1% for the same period of 2012. Gross margin was 61.8% for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, as compared to 60.3% for the same period of 2012. The slight increase of gross margin was mainly due to the scale effect of increased sales as compared to the same period of 2012.
 
Selling Expenses
 
Our selling expenses increased by US$5.4 million, or 14.5%, to US$42.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2013, from US$37.0 million for the same period of 2012. As a percentage of sales, selling expenses decreased from 19.0% for the three months ended September 30, 2012 to 28.5% for the same period of 2013. The increase of selling expenses was primarily due to an increase in advertising and promotion expense and distributors’ seminar expenditure of US$4.6 million relating to marketing and promotional activities for our products in our markets.
 
Selling expenses increased by US$33.0 million, or 36.8%, to US$122.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, from US$89.8 million for the same period of 2012. As a percentage of sales, selling expenses decreased from 24.1% for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 to 21.5% for the same period of 2013. The increase of selling expenses was primarily due to an increase in advertising and promotion expense and distributors’ seminar expenditure of US$33.4 million.
 
General and Administrative Expenses
 
Our general and administrative expenses slightly increased by US$0.9 million, or 19.4%, to US$5.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2013, from US$4.8 million for the same period of 2012. As a percentage of sales, general and administrative expenses decreased from 3.7% for the three months ended September 30, 2012 to 2.6% for the same period of 2013. The increase of general and administrative expenses was mainly due to the increase of staff salary and related costs for the three months ended September 30, 2013.
 
General and administrative expenses increased by US$1.8 million, or 16.2%, to US$13.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, from US$11.3 million for the same period of 2012. As a percentage of sales, general and administrative expenses decreased from 3.0% for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 to 2.3% for the same period of 2013. The increase of general and administrative expenses was mainly due to the reversal of allowance for doubtful accounts of US$6.3 million which was recorded in the first quarter of 2012. Excluding the reversal of allowance for doubtful accounts, general and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 decreased by US$4.5 million, which was mainly due to the decrease of stock compensation and travelling related expenses. General and administrative expenses mainly included audit fees and lawyer fees related to the Proposed Transaction, and staff salary and related costs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013.
 
Research and Development Expenses
 
We incurred US$5.4 million of research and development expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2013, as compared to US$5.2 million for the same period of 2012. The research and development expenses was US$17.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, as compared to US$14.1 million for the same period of 2012.
 
Our research and development expenses mainly consisted of field test expenses for existing and new products on different crops and in various geographic markets.
 
Impairment loss of goodwill
 
We performed our annual goodwill impairment test as of September 30, 2012. A two step process is used to test for goodwill impairment. The fair value of the reporting unit for step one was determined based on the income approach, which is applied using a present value technique, and also considered the quoted market price of our common stock. The first step of the impairment test concluded that the carrying value of our reporting unit exceeded its fair value. As a result, we performed the second step of the goodwill impairment test. We determined that the implied fair value of goodwill was nil. Therefore, a goodwill impairment loss of US$10,748,731 was recognized for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012.
 
 
38

 
Income Tax Rate
 
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and the year ended December 31, 2012, Yongye Nongfeng enjoyed a preferential tax rate of 15% pursuant to the High-Tech Enterprise qualification which entitled it the preferential tax rate for three years starting from January 1, 2010. Subject to renewal, Yongye Nongfeng’s High-Tech Enterprise status will enable it to enjoy the preferential income tax rate of 15% from 2013 to 2015. Management believes that Yongye Nongfeng meets all the criteria for the renewal of High-Tech Enterprise status. Pursuant to an approval from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region National Tax Authority on November 26, 2012, Yongye Fumin, being a foreign investment enterprise located in the Western Region of the PRC, was entitled to a preferential income tax rate of 15% retrospectively effective from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2020.
 
Our effective income tax rates for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 were 16.13% and 18.90%, respectively. Effective income tax rates for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 were 15.90% and 17.97%, respectively. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, the effective income tax rates differ from the PRC statutory income tax rate of 25% primarily due to the effect of Yongye Nongfeng’s and Yongye Fumin’s preferential tax treatment which is partly offset by the effect of non-deductible expenses. The effective income tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 decreased as compared to the same period of 2012 was primarily due to a decrease in non deductible management compensation expenses.
  
Our company’s PRC subsidiaries have cash balance of US$101.0 million as of September 30, 2013 which is planned to be permanently reinvested in the PRC. The distributions from our PRC subsidiaries are subject to the U.S. federal income tax at 34%, less any applicable foreign tax credits. Due to our plan to indefinitely reinvest our earnings in our PRC business, we have not provided for deferred tax liabilities on undistributed earnings of our PRC subsidiaries.
 
Net Income
 
Our net income attributable to Yongye International, Inc. was US$70.5 million (representing a net profit margin of 31.6%) for the three months ended September 30, 2013 as compared to US$16.8 million (representing a net profit margin of 13.0%) for the same period of 2012.
 
Net income attributable to Yongye International, Inc. was US$156.3 million (representing a net profit margin of 27.4%) for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 as compared to US$74.3 million (representing a net profit margin of 20.0%) for the same period of 2012.
 
The increase was primarily due to collection for past sales and a one-time impairment loss of goodwill of $10.7 million the Company recorded in the third quarter of 2012. 
 
39

 
Liquidity and capital resources
 
Selected consolidated balance sheet data:
 
in US$, except for
    percentages
 
As of
September 30, 2013
 
As of
December 31, 2012
 
Variance
 
%
 
Note
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cash and restricted cash
 
 
101,104,636
 
 
44,551,404
 
 
56,553,232
 
 
127
%
 
 
 
Accounts receivable, net of
   allowance for doubtful accounts
 
 
390,325,780
 
 
293,600,762
 
 
96,725,018
 
 
33
%
 
1)
 
Inventories
 
 
101,919,511
 
 
118,693,596
 
 
(16,774,085)
 
 
(14)
%
 
2)
 
Deposits to suppliers
 
 
117,044,550
 
 
24,048,028
 
 
92,996,522
 
 
387
%
 
3)
 
Property, plant and equipment, net
 
 
25,507,415
 
 
26,224,957
 
 
(717,542)
 
 
(3)
%
 
 
 
Prepayment for mining project
 
 
36,751,900
 
 
35,792,410
 
 
959,490
 
 
3
%
 
4)
 
Total assets
 
 
847,329,166
 
 
623,847,190
 
 
223,481,976
 
 
36
%
 
 
 
Long-term loans and payables -
   current portion
 
 
9,803,306
 
 
9,149,280
 
 
654,026
 
 
7
%
 
 
 
Capital lease obligations - current
   portion
 
 
505,449
 
 
395,878
 
 
109,571
 
 
28
%
 
 
 
Short term bank loan
 
 
83,009,164
 
 
50,857,163
 
 
32,152,001
 
 
63
%
 
 
 
Accounts payable
 
 
11,717,757
 
 
12,364,193
 
 
(646,436)
 
 
(5)
%
 
 
 
Income tax payable
 
 
34,287,230
 
 
3,196,078
 
 
31,091,152
 
 
973
%
 
 
 
Accrued expenses
 
 
14,502,049
 
 
31,389,630
 
 
(16,887,581)
 
 
(54)
%
 
5)
 
Other payables
 
 
3,304,091
 
 
2,828,262
 
 
475,829
 
 
17
%
 
 
 
Total current liabilities
 
 
157,231,212
 
 
110,683,792
 
 
46,547,420
 
 
42
%
 
 
 
Long-term loans and payables
 
 
8,162,478
 
 
10,254,922
 
 
(2,092,444)
 
 
(20)
%
 
 
 
Other non-current liability
 
 
6,862,975
 
 
6,683,802
 
 
179,173
 
 
3
%
 
 
 
Total equity attributable to Yongye
   International, Inc.
 
 
582,255,347
 
 
415,472,496
 
 
166,782,851
 
 
40
%
 
 
 
Total equity
 
 
612,230,688
 
 
436,263,068
 
 
175,967,620
 
 
40
%
 
6)
 
 
 
40

 
1)
The increase in accounts receivable of US96.7 million was consistent with our sales which occurred in the second and third quarter due to the seasonality of our business.
 
Past due balances are reviewed individually for collectability. We determine the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts by considering the amount of historical losses adjusted to take into account current market conditions and customers’ financial condition, the amount of receivables in dispute and past due, the accounts receivables aging and customers’ repayment patterns. During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, the entire accounts receivable as of December 31, 2012, including all the past due accounts, were collected.
 
For certain distributors, we do not recognize revenues upon shipment of the finished goods to them, since we determined that collectability was not reasonably assured at time of shipment. Revenues from sale of products to these distributors are not recognized until we receive full payment. As of September 30, 2013, finished goods of US$38.4 million represented products sold and shipped to distributors for which no revenue was recognized.
 
Accounts receivable as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 consisted of the following:
 
 
 
September 30, 2013
 
December 31, 2012
 
Accounts receivable
 
US$
399,575,217
 
US$
302,608,722
 
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts
 
 
(9,249,437)
 
 
(9,007,960)
 
Total
 
US$
390,325,780
 
US$
293,600,762
 
 
Of the US$399.6 million of our gross accounts receivable as of September 30, 2013, US$9.8 million of our accounts receivable were past our six month credit term, representing 2.4% of total gross account receivable balance as of September 30, 2013. We provided allowance for doubtful accounts in the amount of US$9.2 million, taking into account current market conditions, the customers’ financial condition, the accounts receivable ageing and the customers’ repayment patterns. For the gross accounts receivable balance as of September 30, 2013, our top three customers accounted for US$132.3 million or 33.1% and our top five customers accounted for US$202.1 million or 50.6% of the total amount of accounts receivable.
 
The ageing of gross accounts receivable as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 was:
 
Receivable Ageing
 
September 30, 2013
 
%
 
 
December 31, 2012
 
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Current:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
0-3 months
 
US$
132,993,158
 
 
33.3
%
 
US$
62,258,015
 
 
20.6
%
3-6 months
 
 
256,787,315
 
 
64.3
%
 
 
125,453,713
 
 
41.4
%
Subtotal
 
 
389,780,473
 
 
97.6
%
 
 
187,711,728
 
 
62.0
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Past due:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Past due 0-30 days
 
 
9,355,545
 
 
2.3
%
 
 
41,961,730
 
 
13.9
%
Past due over 30 days
 
 
439,199
 
 
0.1
%
 
 
72,935,264
 
 
24.1
%
Subtotal
 
 
9,794,744
 
 
2.4
%
 
 
114,896,994
 
 
38.0
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total
 
US$
399,575,217
 
 
100.0
%
 
US$
302,608,722
 
 
100.0
%
 
Days sales outstanding (“DSO”) is defined as average accounts receivable for the period divided by net sales for the period times the days of this period. DSO decreased by 37 days from 174 days for the three months ended September 30, 2012 to 137 days for the same period of 2013, mainly due to the increased sales amount during the third quarter of 2013, as well as the significant collection amount in accounts receivable. We currently have 2.4% of total gross accounts receivable outstanding over six months, which is the normal credit term we provided to our customers.
 
 
41

 
2)
The decrease in inventory of US$16.8 million was mainly due to the significant reduction of inventory stocking in the nine months ended September 30, 2013. The peak seasons of our regular crop nutrient products fall in the second and third quarters. We consumed a lot of volumes of finished goods of our regular crop nutrient product during the second and third quarter of 2013 and thus resulted in decreased inventory and lower inventory turnover days during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013. As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, finished goods included US$38.4 million and US$46.1 million, respectively, of products that were sold and delivered to certain customers for which the related revenue was not recognized because collectability was not assured at time of shipment.
 
Inventory turn-over days (“Inventory days”) is defined as average inventory for the period divided by cost of sales for the period times the days of this period. Inventory days decreased by 83 days from 196 days for the three months ended September 30, 2012 to 113 days for the same period in 2013, mainly due to the increased cost of sales and consumption of inventory stocking.
 
3)
The deposits to suppliers amounting to US$117.0 million and US$24.0 million as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 in anticipation of production demand for the next quarters and the following year. The deposits were paid primarily to the suppliers of chemical components, lignite coal and packaging materials to lock in price and secure availability, which is expected to be delivered by December 2013 and consumed by the Company in the manufacturing process within a year.
 
4)
The cash consideration for the resource project is RMB 240 million or approximately US$35 million. According to preliminary third party analysis, the mineral resource of the project we acquired is at surface level and the “open pit” mining method is recommended. Also, our Wuchuan Facility was built near the mineral resource project to minimize future shipping expense. During the year ended December 31, 2012, we engaged a third party mineral institute to assist us in obtaining a Geological Exploration Report. We believe the cost to be incurred in completing the remaining administrative procedures and obtaining government approvals are not significant.
 
5)
The decrease in accrued expenses of US$16.9 million was mainly due to the settled payment of advertising and promotion activities, and research expenses for field tests that were conducted during the first half year of 2013.
 
6)
Total equity increased by US$175.9 million from US$436.3 million as of December 31, 2012 to US$612.2 million as of September 30, 2013. The increase in our total equity was mainly due to an increase in retained earnings of US$152.8 million primarily for the net income attributable to Yongye International, Inc. during the first nine months of 2013 and other comprehensive income of US$13.5 million primarily for foreign currency exchange translation adjustment during the nine months ended September 30, 2013.
 
Summary consolidated cash flow data:
 
in US$, except for percentages
 
For the Nine Months Ended
 
 
 
September 30, 2013
 
September 30, 2012
 
Change
 
Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities
 
 
28,270,683
 
 
(52,277,007)
 
 
80,547,690
 
Net cash used in investing activities
 
 
(1,575,636)
 
 
(2,778,431)
 
 
1,202,795
 
Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities
 
 
25,461,761
 
 
(8,337,305)
 
 
33,799,066
 
Effect of exchange rate change on cash and cash equivalents
 
 
4,396,424
 
 
277,452
 
 
4,118,972
 
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
 
 
56,553,232
 
 
(63,115,291)
 
 
119,668,523
 
Cash at beginning of period
 
 
44,511,404
 
 
81,154,880
 
 
(36,643,476)
 
Cash end of period
 
 
101,064,636
 
 
18,039,589
 
 
83,025,047
 
 
 
42

 
The sources and uses of cash for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 are summarized below:
 
Cash provided by operating activities was US$28.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, and cash used in operating activities was US$52.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2012. The cash provided by operating activities in the nine months ended September 30, 2013 was primarily driven by collection of accounts receivable, as well as the reduction of inventory. Other factors include an increase of US$86.7 million in earnings.
 
Net cash used in investing activities was US$1.6 million and US$2.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
 
Net cash provided by financing activities was US$25.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, and cash used in financing activities was US$8.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2012. The net cash provided by financing activities in the nine months ended September 30, 2013 was mainly due to the net proceeds from short-term bank loans.
 
Foreign Currency Translation Gains
 
The financial position and results of operations of our Company’s subsidiaries in the PRC are measured using the Renminbi as the functional currency, while our Company’s reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. Assets and liabilities of the subsidiaries are translated at the prevailing exchange rate in effect at each period end. The income statement is translated at the average rate of exchange during the period. Translation adjustments are included in the cumulative translation adjustment account in the consolidated statements of stockholders’ equity and comprehensive income.
 
Impact of Inflation
 
We are subject to commodity price risks arising from price fluctuations in the market prices of the raw materials. We have generally been able to pass on cost increases through price adjustments. However, our ability to pass on these increases depends on market conditions influenced by the overall economic conditions in China. We manage our price risks through productivity improvements and cost-containment measures. We do not believe that inflation risk is material to our business, our financial position, results of operations or cash flows at this time.
 
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
 
We do not have any significant off-balance sheet arrangements and accordingly, no such arrangements are likely to have a current or future effect on our financial position, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
   
ITEM 3.
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
 
Foreign Exchange Risk
 
All of our net sales, and majority of costs and expenses are denominated in RMB. Although the conversion of the RMB is highly regulated in China, the value of the RMB against the value of the U.S. dollar or any other currency nonetheless may fluctuate and be affected by, among other things, changes in China’s political and economic conditions. Under current policy, the value of the RMB is permitted to fluctuate within a narrow band against a basket of certain foreign currencies. China is currently under significant international pressures to liberalize this government currency policy, and if such liberalization were to occur, the value of the RMB could appreciate or depreciate against the U.S. dollar.
 
Because substantially all of our earnings and majority of our cash assets are denominated in RMB, other than certain cash deposits we keep in a bank in Hong Kong and U.S., appreciation or depreciation in the value of the RMB relative to the U.S. dollar would affect our financial results reported in U.S. dollar terms without giving effect to any underlying change in our business or results of operations. Fluctuations in the exchange rate will also affect the relative value of any dividend we issue in future that will be exchanged into U.S. dollars and earnings from, and the value of, any U.S. dollar-denominated investments we make in the future.
 
Very limited hedging transactions are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedging transactions may be limited and we may not be able to successfully hedge our exposure at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert RMB into foreign currency.
 
 
43

 
Interest Rate Risk
 
We have not been, nor does it anticipate being, exposed to material risks due to changes in interest rates. Our risk exposure to changes in interest rates relates primarily to the interest income generated by cash deposited in interest-bearing savings accounts. We have not used, and do not expect to use in the future, any derivative financial instruments to hedge its interest risk exposure. However, our future interest income may fall short of its expectation due to changes in interest rates in the market.
 
Credit Risk
 
We are exposed to credit risk from our cash in bank and accounts receivable. The credit risk on cash in bank and fixed deposits is limited because the counterparties are recognized financial institutions. Accounts receivable are subjected to credit evaluations. An allowance would be made, if necessary, for estimated irrecoverable amounts by reference to past default experience, if any, and by reference to the current economic environment.
 
Inflation
 
Inflationary factors, such as increases in the cost of our products and overhead costs, could impair our operating results. Although we do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our financial position or results of operations to date, a high rate of inflation in the future may have an adverse effect on our ability to maintain current levels of gross margin and selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of sales revenue if the selling prices of our products do not increase with these increased costs.
 
Our Company’s Operations are Substantially in Foreign Countries
 
Substantially all of our operations are conducted in China and are subject to various political, economic, and other risks and uncertainties inherent in conducting business in China. Among other risks, our Company and our subsidiaries’ operations are subject to the risks of restrictions on transfer of funds; export duties, quotas, and embargoes; domestic and international customs and tariffs; changing taxation policies; foreign exchange restrictions; and political conditions and governmental regulations.
 
ITEM 4
CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
 
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
 
The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports filed by the Company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and regulations and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including its Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer evaluated, with the participation of other members of management, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 15d-15(e)), as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based on this evaluation, our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
 
Although the management of our Company, including the Principal Executive Officer and the Principal Financial Officer, believes that our disclosure controls and internal controls currently provide reasonable assurance that our desired control objectives have been met, management does not expect that our disclosure controls or internal controls will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within our Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is also based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.
 
 
44

 
Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting
 
During the period covered by this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, there was no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
 
PART II.
OTHER INFORMATION
 
ITEM 1.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
 
On May 26, 2011 and June 3, 2011, we and certain of our officers and directors were named in putative class action lawsuits filed in the US Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging, among other things, that we and such officers and directors issued false and misleading information to investors about our financial and business condition. These securities class action complaints generally alleged that the Company’s business was not growing at the rate it represented and that the Company’s financial results as reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission were inconsistent with its production capabilities. On March 5, 2012, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed this action with prejudice as to themselves as named plaintiffs.
 
On or about October 18, 2012 and October 22, 2012, five shareholder class action complaints were filed against the Company and certain officers and directors thereof in connection with the preliminary, non-binding proposal letter dated October 15, 2012, from Mr. Zishen Wu, MSPEA and Abax Global Capital (Hong Kong) Limited, to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of the Company not already owned by those parties, in a going private transaction for $6.60 per share of common stock in cash, subject to certain conditions (the “ Wu Proposal ”). The five complaints are captioned, respectively, Doherty v. Yongye International, Inc., et al., A-12-670343-C; Kirby v. Zishen Wu, et al. , A-12-670468-C; Calisti v. Zishen Wu, et al., Case No. A-12-670758-B; Kong, et al. v. Zishen Wu, et. al., Case No. A-12-670874-B; and Harris v. Yongye International, Inc., et al. , Case No. A-12-670817-B. Each of the complaints was filed in Nevada state court in the District Court, Clark County, and each challenged the Wu Proposal, alleging among other things, that the consideration to be paid in such proposal was inadequate, as was the process by which the proposal was being evaluated. The complaints sought, among other relief, to enjoin defendants from consummating the Wu Proposal and to direct defendants to exercise their fiduciary duties to obtain a transaction that is in the best interests of all of the Company’s shareholders. On or about March 5, 2013, the plaintiff in the Doherty case filed a notice of voluntary dismissal. By stipulation and order, filed on April 23, 2013, the remaining cases were consolidated for all purposes under the caption In re Yongye International, Inc. Shareholders’ Litigation, Case No. A-12-670468-B (the “Consolidation Order”). Under the Consolidation Order, the plaintiffs were directed to file an consolidated complaint within 20 days of the announcement of a definitive merger agreement entered into in connection with any proposed going private transaction. On October 18, 2013 the parties stipulated, and the Court ordered, that the plaintiffs would file the consolidated complaint within 14 days of the filing of the preliminary proxy statement (the “Consolidation Stipulation”). The preliminary proxy statement was filed on October 28, 2013, and the consolidated complaint was filed on November 7, 2013. The Company has reviewed the allegations contained in the consolidated complaint and believes they are without merit. The Company intends to defend the litigation vigorously. As such, based on the information known to date, the Company does not believe that it is probable that a material judgment against it will result.
 
ITEM 1A.
RISK FACTORS
 
Investing in our securities involves risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the following risk factors as well as the risks described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, or any updates to our risk factors in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10- Q, together with all of the other information appearing in or incorporated by reference into this Quarterly Report, in light of your particular investment objectives and financial circumstances. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks. The trading price of our securities could decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
 
Risks Related to Our Business
 
We rely on a single product for a substantial portion of our sales and any changes in the market for this product could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
In 2011, 2010 and 2009, sales of our liquid crop nutrient product represented 99%, 97% and 93% of our total sales, respectively. If there is any disruption in the demand for our liquid crop nutrient product, whether as a result of alternative nutrient or fertilizer products being developed, the entry of significant competitors to the marketplace or otherwise, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
 
The limited operating history and early stage development of Yongye Nongfeng, and Yongye Fumin may make it difficult to evaluate our business and future prospects.
 
We established our cooperative joint venture, Yongye Nongfeng, on January 4, 2008, with the intention of carrying out the business of marketing and distributing, and the ultimate goal of manufacturing of our fulvic acid based crop and animal nutrient products. In October 2009, we completed the transfer of manufacturing business of our products from Inner Mongolia Yongye (which is under the control of Mr. Zishen Wu), to Yongye Nongfeng (Mr. Wu is also the CEO of Yongye Nongfeng), including all assets related to the manufacturing, distribution and sales as well as all applicable licenses and titles (the “Restructuring”). On October 10, 2009 the cooperative joint venture contract and Yongye Nongfeng’s articles of association were revised, and the profit distribution percentage and the post-dissolution remaining asset distribution percentage of Inner Mongolia Yongye in Yongye Nongfeng increased to 5% from the previous 0.5%. On July 20, 2010, Yongye Nongfeng set up a wholly-owned subsidiary, Yongye Fumin to expand the production capacity for fulvic acid based liquid and powder nutrient compounds.
 
 
45

 
The limited operating history and the early stage of development of Yongye Nongfeng and Yongye Fumin may make it difficult to evaluate our business and future prospects. We cannot assure you that Yongye Nongfeng and Yongye Fumin will continue to maintain such profitability or that they will not incur net losses in the future. We expect that our operating expenses will increase as we pursue our growth strategies.
 
Failure to manage our recent dramatic growth could strain our management, operational and other resources, which could materially and adversely affect our business and prospects.
 
We have been expanding our operations dramatically and believe we will continue to do so. To meet the demand of our customers, we expect to expand our distribution network in terms of numbers and locations. The rapid growth of our business has resulted in, and if we continue to grow at this rate, will continue to result in, substantial demands on our management, operational and other resources. In particular, the management of our growth will require, among other things:
 
 
sufficient working capital and stringent cost controls;
 
increased sales and sales support activities;
 
improved administrative and operational systems;
 
continued responsibility for disclosure of material facts relating to our business;
 
strengthening of financial and management controls; and
 
hiring and training of new personnel.
 
As we continue this effort, we may incur substantial costs and expend substantial resources. We may not be able to manage our current or future operations effectively and efficiently or compete effectively in new markets we enter. If we are not able to manage our growth successfully, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
 
We do not own 100% of the equity interests in Yongye Nongfeng, which may not be as stable and effective in providing operational control as 100% ownership and we may have conflicts of interests with our joint venture partner.
 
We operate our business through Yongye Nongfeng. If there are disagreements between us and our cooperative joint venture partner, Inner Mongolia Yongye, regarding the business and operations of Yongye Nongfeng, we cannot assure you that we will be able to resolve them in a manner that will be in our best interests. In addition, our joint venture partner may (i) have economic or business interests or goals that are inconsistent with ours; (ii) take actions contrary to our instructions, requests, policies or objectives; (iii) be unable or unwilling to fulfill their obligations; (iv) have financial difficulties; or (v) have disputes with us as to the scope of their responsibilities and obligations. Any of these and other factors may materially and adversely affect the performance of Yongye Nongfeng, which may in turn materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
 
We rely on the cooperative joint venture contract with Inner Mongolia Yongye to operate our business. If Inner Mongolia Yongye fails to perform its obligations under the cooperative joint venture contract, we may have to incur substantial costs and resources to enforce such arrangements and rely on legal remedies under PRC laws, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief and damages, and we cannot assure you that such remedies would be effective. Accordingly, it may be difficult for us to change our corporate structure or to bring claims against Inner Mongolia Yongye if it does not perform its obligations under the cooperative joint venture contract. 
 
The cooperative joint venture contract is governed under PRC law. Accordingly, this agreement would be interpreted in accordance with PRC laws and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal environment in the PRC is not as developed as in other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce the cooperative joint venture contract. In the event we are unable to enforce the cooperative joint venture contract, we may not be able to exert effective control over our operating entities, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected. 
 
Mr. Zishen Wu, our president and CEO, owns a controlling interest in Inner Mongolia Yongye. There could be conflicts of interests between his duties to us and his ownership interests in Inner Mongolia Yongye. We can provide no assurance that if conflicts of interests arise, these conflicts will not result in a significant loss in corporate opportunities for us or a diversion of our resources to Inner Mongolia Yongye, which may not be in our best interest.
 
  
46

 
We may experience difficulty in collecting our accounts receivables, which could have a material and adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.
 
We derive our revenues from the sale of products through our distributors or and are subject to counterparty risks such as our distributors’ inability to pay. We offer various payment terms to our distributors. The credit period we grant and our credit policies are generally in line with market practice. Under our payment terms, we typically allow our distributors to pay the total purchase price within six months after the receipt of our products. Our peak selling seasons are normally the second quarter and the third quarter, accounting for 70%-80% of our full year sales. Payments for most of our sales made during peak seasons are generally collected in the fourth quarter and the first quarter of the following year. As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, our accounts receivable amounted to US$390.3 million and US$293.6 million, respectively.
 
Past due balances are reviewed individually for collectability. We determine the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts by considering the amount of historical losses adjusted to take into account current market conditions and the distributors’ financial condition, the amount of receivables in dispute and past due, the accounts receivables aging and distributors’ repayment patterns. The increase in accounts receivable of US$96.7 million was consistent with our sales which occurred in the second and third quarter due to the seasonality of our business. We have taken measures to increase our collection efforts and to closely monitor our distributors' financial status. Of the US$399.6 million of our gross accounts receivable as of September 30, 2013, 9.8 million of our accounts receivable were past our six-month credit term. We provided for allowance for doubtful accounts in the amount of US$9.2 million, taking into account current market conditions, customers’ financial condition, the accounts receivable ageing and the customers’ repayment patterns.
 
There can be no assurance that we will be able to improve our collection of accounts receivable from such distributors. The significant amount of accounts receivable and the increased accounts receivable turnover days may expose us to increasing risks associated with shortage of working capital, which may result in delay or difficulty in the delivery of our products and services and, in turn, our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
 
For certain distributors where we believe collectability is not reasonably assured, we do not recognize revenue upon shipment. Revenues from sale of products to these distributors are not recognized until collectability is reasonably assured, which is demonstrated by sufficient period of historical collection experience. Revenues for product sales to these distributors are recognized when full payment is received. Since the payment ability of our distributors directly affects our revenue recognition, the deteriorating payment ability of our distributors will result in delays to revenue recognition until collectability can be reasonably assured, which is generally upon cash receipt and, thus, will have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
 
One or more of our distributors and retailers could engage in activities that are harmful to our brand and to our business.
 
Due to our reliance on a distribution network that is comprised of provincial-level distributors, country-level distributors and Branded Retailers to sell our products, we are susceptible to our distributors and Branded Retailers engaging in activities that are harmful to our brand and business. If our distributors or Branded Retailers do not implement our branding strategy properly, including failure to use appropriate signage at Branded Retailers, our brand name may be damaged. In addition, if our distributors or Branded Retailers sell our products under another brand, purchasers will not be aware of our brand name. Moreover, our ability to provide appropriate customer service to these purchasers will be negatively affected, and we may be unable to develop our local knowledge of the needs of these customers. Furthermore, if any of our distributors or Branded Retailers sell inferior products produced by other companies under our brand name, our brand and reputation could be harmed, which could make marketing of our products more difficult.
 
If we are not able to obtain the requisite government approval to complete the mineral resources project or if the project renders fewer resources than expected, our vertical integration strategy could fail.
 
In 2010, we entered into an agreement with Wuchuan Shuntong to acquire the permit for the rights to explore, develop and produce mineral resources in a certain area of Wuchuan County. The cash consideration of the permit was approximately RMB240 million or US$35 million. The permit allows us to complete all necessary administrative procedures and obtain government approvals to acquire the permit for the rights to explore, develop and produce humic acid bearing resources (“Mineral Rights”). We believe that the Mineral Rights will allow us to secure a long term supply of humic acid, which is a major raw material used in the manufacture of our products. In August 2011, Yongye Fumin, our wholly-owned subsidiary, obtained a Mineral Resource Exploration Permit for this project site in Wuchuan County, Inner Mongolia, which was issued by the Inner Mongolia Ministry of Land and Resources. Such approval granted us exclusive exploration rights for this project site for an initial period of three years beginning August 2, 2011. We are in the process of applying for the governmental approval for the Mineral Rights to develop and produce the mineral resources and are preparing for the relevant reports, including but not limited to a Geological Report and Geological Exploration Report. In June 2012, we engaged a third party mineral exploration institute to assist us in obtaining the Geological Exploration Report. However, we cannot assure you that we can obtain the Mineral Rights to develop and produce the mineral resources in a timely manner, if at all. Furthermore, the nature and amount of the mineral resources in the Wuchuan project may not be the same as analyzed in the third-party preliminary reports obtained by us in 2009, and our supply of humic acid will be dependent upon market availability. If we are unable to obtain adequate quantities of raw materials at economically viable prices which meet our specifications, our financial condition and results of operation could be adversely affected.
 
 
47

 
If we cannot renew our fertilizer registration certificate, we will be unable to sell our products which will cause our sales revenues to significantly decrease.
 
All fertilizers produced in the PRC must be registered with the PRC Ministry of Agriculture or its local branches at a provincial level. No fertilizer can be manufactured without such registration. As part of the Restructuring process, Yongye Nongfeng applied for its initial fertilizer registration certificate in May 2009 and received it on June 1, 2009. On November 4, 2009, the long-term certificate with a five-year term was issued to Yongye Nongfeng.
 
However, there is no guarantee that the PRC Ministry of Agriculture will further renew our fertilizer registration certificate. If we cannot obtain the necessary renewal, we will not be able to manufacture and sell our fertilizer products in China, which will cause the termination of our commercial operations.
 
Our patent protected formulae, fulvic acid extraction and blending processes may become obsolete which could materially and adversely affect the competitiveness of our products.
 
The production of our crop and animal nutrient products is based on our patented crop and animal product mixture processes and nutrient formulae. Our future success will depend upon our ability to address the increasingly sophisticated needs of our customers by supporting existing and emerging fulvic acid products and by developing and introducing new products and enhancements to our existing products on a timely basis that keep pace with evolving industry standards and changing customer requirements. If our patented crop and animal nutrient product mixture processes and formulae become obsolete as our competitors develop better products, our future business and financial results could be adversely affected. In addition, although we entered into confidentiality agreements with our key employees, we cannot assure you if there would not be any breach of such agreement in which case our rights over such patented formulae would be adversely affected.
 
We may not possess all the licenses required to operate our business, or may fail to maintain the licenses we currently hold. This could subject us to fines and other penalties, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
 
In addition to a fertilizer registration certificate, we are required to hold a variety of other permits, licenses and certificates to conduct our business in China, including relevant construction and environmental permits and certificates in connection with the commencement of operations at Yongye Fumin. We may not possess or receive all the permits, licenses and certificates required for our business or for which application has been made. In addition, there may be circumstances under which the approvals, permits, licenses or certificates granted by the governmental agencies are subject to change without substantial advance notice, and it is possible that we could fail to obtain the approvals, permits, licenses or certificates that are required to expand our business as we intend. If we fail to obtain or to maintain such permits, licenses or certificates or renewals are granted with onerous conditions, we could be subject to fines and other penalties and be limited in the number or the quality of the products that we would be able to offer. As a result, our business, result of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
 
Zishen Wu, our chairman, chief executive officer and president, has played an important role in the growth and development of our business since its inception, and a loss of his services in the future could severely disrupt our business and negatively affect investor confidence in us, which may also cause the market price of our common stock to go down.
 
To date, we have relied heavily on Mr. Wu’s expertise in, and familiarity with, our business operations, his relationships within the industries in which we operate, his reputation and experience. In addition, Mr. Wu has been primarily responsible for formulating our overall business strategies and spearheading the growth of our operations. If Mr. Wu were unable or unwilling to continue in his present positions, we may not be able to easily replace him and may incur additional expenses to identify and train his successor. In addition, if Mr. Wu were to join a competitor or form a competing business, it could severely disrupt our business and negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations. Although Mr. Wu is subject to certain noncompetition restrictions during and after termination of his employment with us, we cannot assure you that such non-competition restrictions will be effective or enforceable under PRC law. Moreover, even if the departure of Mr. Wu from our Company would not have any actual impact on our operations and the growth of our business, it could create the perception among investors or the marketplace that his departure could severely damage our business and operations and could negatively affect investor confidence in us, which may cause the market price of our common stock to go down. In the event Mr. Wu ceases to be our chief executive officer or ceases to be engaged or to perform his duties on a full-time basis prior to December 31, 2014 (unless as a result of his death, disability or incapacity or events beyond our control or is approved by the holders of a majority of the shares of the convertible preferred stock then outstanding), the holders of our convertible preferred stock will be able to redeem all or a portion of the outstanding shares of convertible preferred stock at a redemption price equal to the original purchase price thereof, plus a premium designed to generate a 30% internal rate of return to such holders. We do not maintain key man insurance for Mr. Wu.
 
 
48

 
We depend heavily on our skilled personnel, and any loss of such personnel or the failure to continue to attract such personnel in the future could harm our business.
 
Our business is specialized and requires the employment of personnel with significant scientific and operational experience in the industry. Accordingly, we must attract, recruit and retain a workforce of technically and scientifically competent employees. Due to the intense market competition for highly skilled workers and experienced senior management, we have faced difficulties locating personnel that have the necessary scientific, technical and operational skills and experience with the fertilizer industry. Our ability to effectively implement our business strategy will depend upon, among other factors, the successful recruitment and retention of qualified management and our key personnel. These individuals are difficult to find in the PRC and we may not be able to retain such skilled employees and replace them within a reasonable period of time, or at all. Our business may be severely disrupted, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected, and we may incur additional expenses in recruiting and training additional personnel. Although our employees and senior management members are subject to certain non-competition restrictions during and after termination of their employment, we cannot assure you that such non-competition restrictions will be effective or enforceable under PRC law. If any of our key personnel joins a competitor or forms a competing business, our business may be severely disrupted. We have no key man insurance with respect to our key personnel that would provide insurance coverage payable to us for loss of their employment due to death or other reasons.
 
The markets in which we operate are highly competitive and fragmented and we may not be able to maintain market share.
 
We operate in highly competitive markets and compete with numerous local PRC humic or fulvic acid crop nutrient manufacturers, as well as other foliar-applied liquid fertilizer manufacturers and we expect competition to persist and intensify in the future. Our competitors are mainly local fertilizer companies who may have better access in certain local markets, stronger ability to customize products to a particular region or locality and more established local distribution channels within a specific region. In the future, we may also compete with large PRC state-owned enterprise national competitors, and they may have competitive advantages over us in certain areas such as access to capital, technology, product quality, economies of scale and brand recognition and may also be better positioned than us to develop superior product features and technological innovations and to exploit and adapt to market trends. Additionally, we may not be able to conduct in-depth research and analysis on our current or new markets due to the lack of enough public or third-party sources of information on our industry and competitors. Therefore, we may not have a clear estimate of the current number of our direct competitors or such competitors' revenues or market share.
 
In addition, China’s entry into the World Trade Organization may lead to increased foreign competition for us. If our international competitors are localized and establish their market recognition in China, we may face additional competition. If we are not successful in our marketing and advertising efforts to increase awareness of our brands, our revenues could decline, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and share price. We cannot assure you that additional competitors will not enter our existing markets, or that we will be able to compete successfully against existing or new competition.
 
MSPEA Agriculture Holding Limited (“MSPEA”) has significant influence over our affairs.
 
MSPEA currently owns 100% of the outstanding convertible preferred stock and approximately 4.2% of our common stock. In addition, pursuant to certain rights granted to it under the Certificate of Designation, so long as MSPEA and its affiliates continue to own 25% of the convertible preferred stock initially issued to it, the holders of at least a majority of the shares of the convertible preferred stock have the right to designate one of the directors on our board of directors and have the ability to veto certain of our corporate actions or material transactions under some circumstances. As a result, MSPEA has significant influence over our business.
 
If we do not meet performance targets specified in the securities purchase agreement with MSPEA or if we issue equity securities at a price per share less than the then-applicable conversion price, the conversion price of the convertible preferred stock would decrease.
 
Pursuant to the terms of the convertible preferred stock, if our net income for the period from fiscal year 2011 (inclusive) to the latest fiscal year with respect to which audited consolidated financial statements are available is below the net income targets of US$84 million for fiscal year 2011, US$210 million for the cumulative period of fiscal year 2011 through fiscal year 2012, US$399 million for the cumulative period of fiscal year 2011 through fiscal year 2013 and US$682.5 million for the cumulative period of fiscal year 2011 through fiscal year 2014 (the “Income Targets,” which Income Targets may be adjusted upwards in the event we issue any equity securities in the future without the prior written approval of the holders of the convertible preferred stock), the conversion price for the convertible preferred stock will decrease and the holders of our common stock could suffer significant dilution in the event of a conversion of any shares of convertible preferred stock. In addition, if we have not achieved any such Income Target and have engaged in certain additional issuances of our equity securities that are not approved in writing by holders of a majority of the convertible preferred stock then outstanding (subject to certain exceptions) but for which no adjustment was made to the Income Targets, Full Alliance has agreed to transfer to MSPEA or its affiliates for total consideration of US$1.00 an amount of shares of our common stock held by Full Alliance that MSPEA would otherwise receive upon conversion of the purchased shares, had the Income Target been so increased. As a result, MSPEA could acquire up to an additional 5,600,000 shares of our common stock currently held by Full Alliance, which shares have been pledged by Full Alliance to support the foregoing obligation. Additionally, as a result of a “full ratchet” anti-dilution provision in favor of holders of our convertible preferred stock, any future issuances of equity securities at a price per share less than the then-applicable conversion price that are not approved by a majority of such holders (subject to certain exceptions) will result in the conversion price being adjusted to the price at which such equity securities are issued.
 
 
49

 
Upon the occurrence of certain events, we may be required to redeem all or a portion of the convertible preferred stock.
 
Upon the occurrence of certain events, including, but not limited to, (i) a breach by us or Full Alliance of certain provisions of the financing documents, which breach gives rise to a material adverse effect on us or which materially diminishes the value of the convertible preferred stock, (ii) our failure to timely file our annual and quarterly reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, (iii) our failure to obtain certain mineral exploration rights without any additional material consideration, following which we fail to recover all of the proceeds for the original purchase of such mining rights on or prior to June 30, 2012 and (iv) Mr. Zishen Wu ceasing to be our chief executive officer or ceasing to be engaged or to perform his duties on a full time basis in that capacity prior to December 31, 2014 (unless as a result of his death, disability or incapacity or events beyond our control or is approved by the holders of a majority of the shares of the convertible preferred stock then outstanding), the holders of the convertible preferred stock have the right to require us to redeem all or a portion of their convertible preferred stock at a redemption price equal to the original purchase price, plus a premium designed to generate a 30% internal rate of return to the holders thereof.
 
In addition, the holders of the convertible preferred stock have the right to require us to redeem all or a portion of their convertible preferred stock if (i) the quotient of the aggregate amount of the earnings per share of any six (6) rolling consecutive quarters commencing from the first quarter of the fiscal year 2010 onwards divided by the aggregate amount of the earnings per share of the corresponding six (6) quarter period one year preceding thereto is less than one hundred and twenty percent (120%), and (ii) the actual net income of any fiscal year from 2011 to 2014 (both inclusive) is lower than US$75 million in fiscal year 2011, US$101 million in fiscal year 2012, US$121 million in fiscal year 2013 and US$145 million in fiscal year 2014, in each case at a redemption price equal to the original purchase price, plus a premium designed to generate a 20% internal rate of return to the holders thereof. The foregoing earnings targets are subject to adjustment in certain circumstances including if we have engaged in certain additional issuances of our equity securities that are not approved in writing by holders of a majority of the convertible preferred stock then outstanding (subject to certain exceptions).
 
If we are required to redeem the convertible preferred stock, we would need cash available, and to the extent that we do not have sufficient cash available and do not have access to bank debt, might have to liquidate assets to fund such redemptions. Any such liquidation may yield proceeds lower than might otherwise be the case.
 
If we need additional financing, we may not be able to find such financing on satisfactory terms or at all.
 
Our capital requirements may be accelerated as a result of many factors, including the growth and timing of our business development activities, budget shortfalls, unanticipated expenses or capital expenditures, future product opportunities, future licensing opportunities and future business combinations. Consequently, we may need to seek additional debt or equity financing, which may not be available on favorable terms, or at all, and which may be dilutive to our stockholders.
 
We may seek to raise additional capital through public or private equity offerings, debt financings or additional corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements. To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience dilution and, so long as MSPEA and its affiliates hold at least 1,420,455 shares of convertible preferred stock, we would need to obtain the approval of a majority of the shares of convertible preferred stock then outstanding (subject to certain exceptions). To the extent that we raise additional capital by issuing debt securities, we may incur substantial interest obligations, may be required to pledge assets as security for the debt and may be constrained by restrictive financial and/or operational covenants. Any provider of debt financing would also be superior to our stockholders’ interest in bankruptcy or liquidation. To the extent we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish some rights to our technologies or product candidates, or grant licenses on unfavorable terms.
 
If we fail to adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, the value of our intellectual property rights could diminish.
 
Our success, competitive position and future revenues will depend in part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection for our products, methods, processes and other technologies, to preserve our trade secrets, to prevent third parties from infringing on our proprietary rights and to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of third parties.
 
To date, we have received two patents for our crop and animal products with the State Intellectual Property Office of the PRC. We have obtained a registered trademark for “Yongye” from the Trademark Office of the State Administration of Industry and Commerce of the PRC (“CTMO”). We have obtained CTMO approval for the trademark “Shengmingsu”. Which is valid until April 2020. In addition, we rely on trade secret protection for our proprietary process of extracting fulvic acid from humic acid and creating the base fulvic acid compound used in both our crop (liquid form) and animal nutrient (powder form) products. However, we cannot predict the degree and range of protection patents, trademarks and trade secrets will afford us against competitors. Third parties may find ways to invalidate or otherwise circumvent our patents, proprietary technology and trademark. Third parties may attempt to obtain patents claiming aspects similar to our patent and trademark applications. If we need to initiate litigation or administrative proceedings to protect our rights, such actions may be costly and may divert management attention as well as expend other resources which could otherwise have been devoted to our business. An adverse determination in any such litigation will impair our intellectual property rights and may harm our business, prospects and reputation. In addition, historically, implementation of PRC intellectual property-related laws has been lacking, primarily because of ambiguities in the PRC laws and difficulties in enforcement. Accordingly, intellectual property rights and confidentiality protections in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other countries, which increases the risk that we may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights.
 
 
50

 
If we infringe upon the rights of third parties, we could be subject to disputes or lawsuits and we could be prevented from selling products, forced to pay damages and compelled to defend against litigation.
 
If our products, formulae, methods, processes and other technologies infringe upon proprietary rights of other parties, we could be subject to disputes and lawsuits and could incur substantial costs, and may have to obtain licenses (which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all), redesign our products or processes, stop using the subject matter claimed in the asserted patents, pay damages, or defend litigation or administrative proceedings, which may be costly whether we win or lose. All of the above could result in a substantial diversion of valuable management resources.
 
We have taken reasonable steps, including comprehensive internal and external prior intellectual property right searches, to ensure we have freedom to operate and that our development and commercialization efforts can be carried out as planned without infringing others’ proprietary rights. However, we cannot guarantee that we will infringe upon no third-party intellectual property right, and we may be subject to a third-party infringement claim. Resolving such issues has traditionally resulted, and could in our case result, in lengthy and costly legal proceedings, the outcome of which cannot be predicted accurately.
 
A severe or prolonged downturn in the global economy could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
 
The global market and economic conditions during the years 2008 through 2011 were unprecedented and challenging, with recessions occurring in most major economies. Continued concerns about the systemic impact of potential long-term and wide-spread recession, energy costs, geopolitical issues, and the availability and cost of credit have contributed to increased market volatility and diminished expectations for economic growth around the world. The difficult economic outlook has negatively affected businesses and consumer confidence and contributed to volatility of unprecedented levels.
 
The PRC economy also faces challenges. The PRC government has implemented various measures recently to curb inflation. If economic growth slows or an economic downturn occurs, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
 
We currently rely upon third-party suppliers for raw materials.
 
We currently are dependent upon third parties for our supply of lignite coal, chemical components and other raw materials. Should any of our suppliers terminate their supply relationships with us, or if our suppliers have inadequate amounts of lignite coal or any such other raw materials to meet our needs, we may be unable to procure sufficient amounts of lignite coal or any such other raw materials on acceptable terms in a timely manner that meet our specifications or that meet the demands of our customers and our profitability may be limited. In addition, these suppliers may not perform their obligations, and it may not be possible to specifically enforce the relationships we have formed with such suppliers. If we are unable to obtain adequate quantities of lignite coal or any such other raw materials at economically viable prices which meet our specifications, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
 
Any significant fluctuation in our production costs may have a material adverse effect on our operating results.
 
The prices for the raw materials and other inputs to manufacture our products are subject to market factors largely beyond our control, including the price of lignite coal, chemical components, our energy costs and freight costs. The costs for these inputs may fluctuate significantly based upon changes in the economy and markets. We may not be able to pass any increase of such costs through to our customers and we could incur significant losses.
 
Disruptions in the supply of raw materials used in our products could cause us to be unable to meet customer demand, which could result in the loss of customers and sales.
 
Currently, the lignite coal is the primary raw material that we use to manufacture our products. If there are any business interruptions at our key suppliers and we are unable to locate alternative supply in a timely manner, we may not be able to meet customer demand, which could result in the loss of customers and sales.
 
We may be subject to more stringent governmental regulation on our products.
 
The manufacture and sale of our products in the PRC is regulated by the PRC and the provincial government. The legal and regulatory regime governing our industry is evolving, and we may become subject to different, including more stringent, requirements than those currently applicable to us. While we believe a more stringent standard will have a bigger impact on those manufacturers with poor quality products, we cannot assure you any regulatory change will not adversely affect our business.
 
 
51

 
We have limited insurance coverage and may incur losses due to business interruptions resulting from natural and man-made disasters, and our insurance may not be adequate to cover liabilities resulting from accidents or injuries that may occur.
 
The insurance industry in China is still at an early stage of development. Insurance companies in China offer limited commercial insurance products. While we carry property insurance on our office building, production facility, raw materials and inventories in our Hohhot facilities, and carry auto insurance on our vehicles and maintain workers compensation insurance for our full-time workers, we do not carry any product liability insurance. We believe that current facilities are adequate for our current and immediately foreseeable operating needs. We have determined that balancing the risks of disruption or liability from our business, the cost of insuring for these risks on the one hand, and the difficulties associated with acquiring such insurance on commercially reasonable terms on the other hand, it is not economically practical for us to have such insurance.
 
Should any natural catastrophes such as earthquakes, floods, or any acts of terrorism occur in Inner Mongolia, where our primary operations are located and most of our employees are based, or elsewhere, we might suffer not only significant property damage, but also loss of revenues due to interruptions in our business operations.
 
The occurrence of a significant event for which we are not fully insured or indemnified, and/or the failure of a party to meet its underwriting or indemnification obligations, could materially and adversely affect our operations and financial condition. Moreover, no assurance can be given that we will be able to maintain adequate insurance in the future at rates we consider reasonable.
 
Any disruption of the operations in our production facility would damage our business.
 
All of our crop and animal nutrient products are currently manufactured in our production facility in Inner Mongolia, China. Our operations could be interrupted by fire, drought, flood, earthquake and other events beyond our control. In addition, in recent months there has been increasing social unrest in Inner Mongolia. This social unrest has led to protests, demonstrations and violence. Any disruption of the operations in our production facility, due to either environmental causes, social unrest or other events beyond our control, would have a significant negative impact on our ability to manufacture and deliver products. We could be unable to outsource our production on terms favorable to us, if at all. Failure to replace any lost production capability would cause a potential diminution in sales, the cancellation of orders, loss of valuable employees, damage to our reputation and potential lawsuits.
 
The crop and animal nutrient products that we manufacture pose safety risks and could expose us to product liability claims.
 
Defects in, or unknown harmful effects caused by, organic and inorganic chemicals and elements in our products could subject us to potential product liability claims that our products cause some harm to the human body or the crop and animals. Although we have adopted safety measures, which we believe meet industry standards, in our research, development and manufacturing processes, accidents may still occur. We do not carry any product liability insurance and any accident, either at the manufacturing phase or during the use of our products, may subject us to significant liabilities. Negative publicity about the safety of our products, whether justified or not, could damage our reputation, involve us in litigation, and damage our brand name and our business. As of the date of this report, no product liability claim has ever been brought against us. However, if we are involved in litigation in the future, our business, financial conditions and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
 
An outbreak of food scares in China would materially and adversely affect our business.
 
Any major outbreak of food scares, such as the milk contamination scandal in the PRC in 2008, may result in significant disruptions to our business operations. A major food scare could result in considerable decreases in the demand for the products in which our products are used, which would materially and adversely affect our business and our profitability. Adverse publicity and concerns resulting from such a food scare may discourage consumers from purchasing products in which our products are used. Such a reduction in demand would adversely impact our financial performance and results of operations.
 
Because we may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our current and future Chinese subsidiaries for our cash requirements, restrictions under Chinese law on their ability to make such payments could materially and adversely affect our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions, pay dividends to our investors, and otherwise fund and conduct our businesses.
 
We have adopted a holding company structure, and we rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our current and future PRC subsidiaries for their cash requirements, including the funds necessary to service any debt we may incur or financing we may need for operations other than through our PRC subsidiaries. PRC legal restrictions permit payments of dividends by our PRC subsidiaries only out of their accumulated after-tax profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC GAAP. Our PRC subsidiaries are also required under PRC laws and regulations to allocate at least 10% of their after-tax profits determined in accordance with PRC GAAP to statutory reserves until such reserves reach 50% of the company’s registered capital. Allocations to these statutory reserves and funds can only be used for specific purposes and are not transferable to us in the form of loans, advances or cash dividends. Any limitation on the ability of our current or future PRC subsidiaries to transfer funds to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends and otherwise fund and conduct our business.
 
If we are unable to establish appropriate internal financial reporting controls and procedures, it could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, result in the restatement of our financial statements, harm our operating results, subject us to regulatory scrutiny and sanction, cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information and have a negative effect on the market price for shares of our common stock.
 
 
52

 
Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and effectively prevent fraud. We maintain a system of internal control over financial reporting, which is defined as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by our board of directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
 
As a public company, we have significant additional requirements for enhanced financial reporting and internal controls. We are required to document and test our internal control procedures in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. The process of designing and implementing effective internal controls is a continuous effort that requires us to anticipate and react to changes in our business and the economic and regulatory environments and to expend significant resources to maintain a system of internal controls that is adequate to satisfy our reporting obligations as a public company. We cannot assure you that we will not, in the future, identify areas requiring improvement in our internal control over financial reporting. We cannot assure you that the measures we will take to remediate any areas in need of improvement will be successful or that we will implement and maintain adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future as we continue our growth. If we are unable to establish appropriate internal financial reporting controls and procedures, it could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, result in the restatement of our financial statements, harm our operating results, subject us to regulatory scrutiny and sanction, cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information and have a negative effect on the market price for shares of our common stock.
 
Lack of experience as officers of publicly traded companies of our management team may hinder our ability to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
 
It may be time consuming, difficult and costly for us to develop and implement the appropriate internal controls and reporting procedures required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. We may need to hire additional financial reporting, internal controls and other finance staff in order to develop and implement appropriate internal controls and reporting procedures. If we are unable to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s internal controls requirements, our auditor could not issue an unqualified opinion of our internal control over financial reporting.
 
We have incurred increased costs as a result of being a public company.
 
As a public company, we have incurred significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as the related rules and regulations subsequently implemented by the SEC, has required changes in corporate governance practices of public companies. These rules and regulations have increased our legal, accounting and financial compliance costs and made certain corporate activities more time-consuming and costly.
 
Risks Associated with Doing Business in China
 
Adverse changes in PRC economic and political policies could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China, which could reduce the demand for our products and materially and adversely affect our business.
 
Substantially all of our assets are located in China. Substantially all of our revenue is derived from our operations in China and we anticipate that sales of our products in the PRC will continue to represent a substantial proportion of our total sales in the near future. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects are subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal developments in China. The PRC economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many aspects, including:
 
 
·
the level of government involvement;
 
·
the level of development;
 
·
the growth rate;
 
·
the level and control of capital investment;
 
·
the control of foreign exchange; and
 
·
the allocation of resources.
 
 
53

 
While the Chinese economy has grown significantly in the past two decades, the growth has been uneven geographically, among various sectors of the economy and during different periods. We cannot assure you that the Chinese economy will continue to grow or at the pace that has prevailed in recent years, or that if there is growth, such growth will be steady and uniform. Any measures taken by the PRC government, even if they benefit the overall Chinese economy in the long-term, may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected by government control over capital investments. Although the Chinese economy has been transitioning from a planned economy to a more market-oriented economy, a substantial portion of the productive assets in China is still owned by the PRC government. The continued control of these assets and other aspects of the national economy by the PRC government could materially and adversely affect our business. The PRC government also exercises significant control over Chinese economic growth through allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Any adverse change in the economic conditions or government policies in China could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth and the level of investments and expenditures in China, which in turn could lead to a reduction in consumer demand for our products and consequently have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
 
The PRC legal system embodies uncertainties that could limit the legal protections available to us.
 
Unlike common law systems, the PRC legal system is based on written statutes and decided legal cases have little precedential value. In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. Our PRC operating subsidiary is subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China. Yongye Nongfeng is subject to laws and regulations governing the formation and conduct of domestic PRC companies. Relevant PRC laws, regulations and legal requirements may change frequently, and their interpretation and enforcement involve uncertainties. For example, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce the legal protection that we enjoy either by law or contract. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings. Such uncertainties, including the inability to enforce our contracts and intellectual property rights, could materially and adversely affect our business and operations. Accordingly, we cannot predict the effect of future developments in the PRC legal system, particularly with respect to the fertilizer and feed sector, including the promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, or the preemption of local regulations by national laws. These uncertainties could limit the legal protections available to us.
 
Currency fluctuations may adversely affect our business.
 
Our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar and our operating subsidiaries in China use RMB as their functional currency. Substantially all of our revenue and expenses are in Renminbi. We are subject to the effects of exchange rate fluctuations with respect to any of these currencies. For example, the value of the Renminbi depends to a large extent on Chinese government policies and China’s domestic and international economic and political developments, as well as supply and demand in the local market. From 1994 to 2005, the official exchange rate for the conversion of Renminbi to the U.S. dollar had generally been stable and the Renminbi had appreciated slightly against the U.S. dollar. However, on July 21, 2005, the PRC Government changed its policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar. Under the new policy, the Renminbi may fluctuate within a narrow and managed band against a basket of certain foreign currencies. This change in policy has resulted in an approximately 31% appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar between July 21, 2005 and December 31, 2011.
 
It is possible that the PRC Government could adopt a more flexible currency policy, which could result in more significant fluctuations of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar. We can offer no assurance that the Renminbi will be stable against the U.S. dollar or any other foreign currency.
 
To the extent the U.S. dollar strengthens against the Renminbi, the translation of foreign currency denominated transactions will result in reduced revenue, operating expenses and net income for our PRC operations. Similarly, to the extent the U.S. dollar weakens against the Renminbi, the translation of the foreign currency denominated transactions will result in increased revenue, operating expenses and net income for our PRC operations. We are also exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations as we translate the financial statements of Yongye Nongfeng and Yongye Fumin into U.S. dollars in consolidation. If there is a change in foreign currency exchange rates, the translation of our foreign subsidiaries’ financial statements into U.S. dollars will lead to a translation gain or loss which is recorded as a component of other comprehensive income. In addition, we may have certain monetary assets and liabilities that are denominated in currencies other than the relevant entity’s functional currency. Changes in the functional currency value of these assets and liabilities result in foreign exchange gain or loss. We have not entered into agreements or purchased instruments to hedge our exchange rate risks, although we may do so in the future. The availability and effectiveness of any hedging transaction may be limited and we may not be able to successfully hedge our exchange rate risks.
 
We must comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
 
We are required to comply with the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits U.S. companies from engaging in bribery or other prohibited payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Foreign companies, including some of our competitors, are not subject to these prohibitions. Corruption, extortion, bribery, pay-offs, theft and other fraudulent practices occur from time-to-time in mainland China. If our competitors engage in these practices, they may receive preferential treatment from personnel of some companies, giving our competitors an advantage in securing business or from government officials who might give them priority in obtaining new licenses, which would put us at a disadvantage. Although we inform our personnel and other agents that such practices are illegal, we cannot assure you that our employees or other agents will not engage in such conduct for which we might be held responsible. If our employees or other agents are found to have engaged in such practices, we could suffer severe penalties and other consequences that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
 
54

 
Changes in foreign exchange regulations in the PRC may affect our ability to pay dividends in foreign currency or conduct other foreign exchange business.
 
The Renminbi is not currently a freely convertible currency, and the restrictions on currency exchanges may limit our ability to use revenues generated in Renminbi to fund our business activities outside the PRC or to make dividends or other payments in U.S. dollars. The PRC government strictly regulates conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies. Over the years, foreign exchange regulations in the PRC have significantly reduced the government’s control over routine foreign exchange transactions under current accounts. In the PRC, the State Administration for Foreign Exchange, or the SAFE, regulates the conversion of the Renminbi into foreign currencies. Pursuant to applicable PRC laws and regulations, foreign invested enterprises incorporated in the PRC are required to apply for “Foreign Exchange Registration Certificates”. Currently, conversion within the scope of the “current account” (e.g. remittance of foreign currencies for payment of dividends, etc.) can be effected without requiring the approval of SAFE. However, conversion of currency in the “capital account” (e.g. for capital items such as direct investments, loans, securities, etc.) still requires the approval of SAFE.
 
In addition, on October 21, 2005, SAFE issued the Notice on Issues Relating to the Administration of Foreign Exchange in Fundraising and Reverse Investment Activities of Domestic Residents Conducted via Offshore Special Purpose Companies (“Notice 75”), which became effective as of November 1, 2005. Notice 75 replaced the two rules issued by SAFE in January and April 2005. According to Notice 75:
 
 
·
prior to establishing or assuming control of an offshore company for the purpose of obtaining overseas equity financing with assets or equity interests in an onshore enterprise in the PRC, each PRC resident, whether a natural or legal person, must complete the overseas investment foreign exchange registration procedures with the relevant local SAFE branch;
 
·
an amendment to the registration with the local SAFE branch is required to be filed by any PRC resident that directly or indirectly holds interests in that offshore company upon either (1) the injection of equity interests or assets of an onshore enterprise to the offshore company, or (2) the completion of any overseas fund raising by such offshore company; and
 
·
an amendment to the registration with the local SAFE branch is also required to be filed by such PRC resident when there is any material change in the capital of the offshore company that does not involve any return investment, such as (1) an increase or decrease in its capital, (2) a transfer or swap of shares, (3) a merger or division, (4) a long term equity or debt investment, or (5) the creation of any security interests.
 
Moreover, Notice 75 applies retroactively. As a result, PRC residents who have established or acquired control of offshore companies that have made onshore investments in the PRC in the past are required to complete the relevant overseas investment foreign exchange registration procedures by March 31, 2006. Under the relevant rules, failure to comply with the registration procedures set forth in Notice 75 may result in restrictions being imposed on the foreign exchange activities of the relevant onshore company, including the payment of dividends and other distributions to its offshore parent or affiliate and the capital inflow from the offshore entity, and may also subject relevant PRC residents to penalties under PRC foreign exchange administration regulations.
 
In addition, SAFE has, from time to time, issued updated internal implementing rules, or Implementing Rules, in relation to Notice 75. New Implementing Rules became effective on July I, 2011. Such Implementing Rules provide more detailed provisions and requirements regarding the overseas investment foreign exchange registration procedures. However, even with the promulgation of the new Implementing Rules there still exist uncertainties regarding the SAFE registration for PRC residents’ interests in overseas companies.
 
On December 25, 2006, the People’s Bank of China promulgated the Administrative Measures for Individual Foreign Exchange. On January 5, 2007, SAFE issued the Implementation Rules of the Administrative Measures for Individual Foreign Exchange, or the Individual Foreign Exchange Rules, which, among other things, specify approval requirements for a PRC citizen’s participation in the employee stock ownership plans or stock option plans of an overseas publicly-listed company. In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notice on Issues concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly-Listed Company, or the Stock Option Rules, which replaced and substituted the Application Procedures of Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Employee Stock Ownership Plan or Stock Option Plan of Overseas Publicly-Listed Company issued by SAFE in March 2007. According to the Stock Option Rules, if a PRC resident participates in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly-listed company, a qualified PRC domestic agent must, among other things, file on behalf of such participant an application with SAFE to conduct the SAFE registration with respect to such stock incentive plan and obtain approval for an annual allowance with respect to the purchase of foreign exchange in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options or stock such participant holds. Such participating PRC resident’s foreign exchange income received from the sale of stock and dividends distributed by the overseas publicly-listed company must be fully remitted into a specific domestic foreign currency account opened and managed by such PRC agent first, before distribution to such participants. We are an offshore listed company and, as a result, any Chinese employee, or foreign employee who resides in PRC more than one year consecutively, of Yongye Nongfeng or Yongye Fumin, including without limitation, directors, supervisors and other senior management staffs of Yongye Nongfeng or Yongye Fumin, who have been granted share options or shares under our 2010 Omnibus Securities and Incentive Plan are subject to the Stock Option Rules. If Yongye Nongfeng, Yongye Fumin or their qualified employees fail to comply with these regulations, they may be subject to fines or other legal sanctions imposed by SAFE or other Chinese government authorities.
 
 
55

 
PRC regulations relating to mergers and acquisitions of domestic enterprises by foreign investors may increase the administrative burden we face and create regulatory uncertainties.
 
On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, namely, the PRC Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM, the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, or SASAC, the State Administration for Taxation, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or CSRC, and SAFE, jointly adopted the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or New M&A Rule, which became effective on September 8, 2006 and was amended on June 22, 2009. The New M&A Rule purports, among other things, to require offshore special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, formed for overseas listing purposes through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies and controlled by PRC companies or individuals, to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to publicly listing their securities on an overseas stock exchange.
 
On September 21, 2006, pursuant to the New M&A Rule and other PRC laws and regulations, the CSRC, in its official website, promulgated relevant guidance with respect to the issues of listing and trading of domestic enterprises’ securities on overseas stock exchanges (the “Related Clarifications”), including a list of application materials with respect to the listing on overseas stock exchanges by SPVs.
 
There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of the above rules, and CSRC has yet to promulgate any written provisions or formally to declare or state whether the overseas listing of PRC related company similar to the case of us shall be subject to the approval of CSRC. If CSRC approval is required in connection with our listing, our failure to obtain or delay in obtaining such approval could result in penalties imposed by CSRC and other PRC regulatory agencies. These penalties could include fines and penalties on our operations in China, restriction or limitation on remitting dividends outside of China, and other forms of sanctions that may cause a material and adverse effect to our business, operations and financial conditions.
 
Notwithstanding those provisions, we are advised by our PRC counsel, Han Kun Law Offices, that CSRC approval is not required in the context of our listing because (i) we are not a special purpose vehicle formed or controlled by PRC companies or PRC individuals, (ii) we are owned or substantively controlled by foreigners, and (iii) establishment of Yongye Nongfeng is not subject to the New M&A rules because its establishment is through incorporation of a cooperative joint venture with Inner Mongolia Yongye, rather than through merger or acquisition. However, we cannot assure that the relevant PRC government agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion, and we still cannot rule out the possibility that CSRC may deem our listing structure circumvents the New M&A rules, Related Clarifications and PRC Securities Law.
 
Though the New M&A rules do not have express provisions in terms of penalties against non-procurement of CSRC approval, there are some other penalty provisions in other PRC laws and regulations regulating offshore listing, which can be cited as a reference:
 
(i) Pursuant to Article 188 of the PRC Securities Law, any entity that issues securities or issues securities in disguised form without verification or examination and approval by the statutory authority shall be ordered to cease issuance and refund the funds thus raised, together with bank deposit interest for the same period, and shall also be fined not less than one percent but not more than five percent of the amount of the proceeds illegally raised. The persons directly in charge and the other persons directly responsible shall be given a disciplinary warning and also be fined not less than RMB30,000 but not more than RMB300,000. However, we believe that this penalty is mainly designed for and targeted at domestic listing because the PRC Securities Law mainly regulate domestic listings, and listing or de-listing of a company’s stock in the US stock market should be subject to the SEC’s regulation, which is beyond the CSRC’s jurisdiction.
 
(ii) Pursuant to the Circular of the State Council Concerning Further Strengthening the Administration of Overseas Issuance and Listing of Securities, the overseas listing of securities of a PRC related company which violates this Circular shall be deemed an issuance of shares without authorization or approval. Persons in charge of the competent departments responsible for approval of such an overseas issuance could be subject to administrative sanctions if such person in charge is liable for such violation. People heading the issuing entity and other people directly responsible for issuance shall be penalized, including degraded to a lower lever position and termination of employment by the upper level department. If the violation constitutes a crime, criminal liability shall be claimed against relevant responsible persons according to applicable laws. The issuing entity, relevant agencies involved and the responsible people thereof shall be penalized by the CSRC in accordance with the provisions of the Interim Regulations on the Administration of Issuance and Trading of Securities and other relevant provisions.
 
Government regulations on environmental matters in China may adversely impact on our business.
 
Our manufacturing operations are subject to numerous laws, regulations, rules and specifications relating to human health and safety and the environment. These laws and regulations address and regulate, among other matters, wastewater discharge, air quality and the generation, handling, storage, treatment, disposal and transportation of solid and hazardous wastes and releases of hazardous substances into the environment. In addition, third parties and governmental agencies in some cases have the power under such laws and regulations to require remediation of environmental conditions and, in the case of governmental agencies, to impose fines and penalties. We make capital expenditures from time to time to stay in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
 
 
56

 
We believe that we have obtained all permits and approvals and filed all registrations required for the conduct of our business, except where the failure to obtain any permit or approval or file any registration would not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We believe that we are in compliance in all material respects with the numerous laws, regulations, rules, specifications and permits, approvals and registrations relating to human health and safety and the environment except where noncompliance would not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
The PRC governmental authorities have not revealed any material environmental liability that would have a material adverse effect on us. We have not been notified by any governmental authority of any continuing noncompliance, liability or other claim in connection with any of our properties or business operations, nor are we aware of any other material environmental condition with respect to any of our properties or arising out of our business operations at any other location. However, in connection with the ownership and operation of our properties (including locations to which we may have sent waste in the past) and the conduct of our business, we potentially may be liable for damages or cleanup, investigation or remediation costs. In addition, in connection with environmental certification applications we have filed regarding our existing operations, the PRC governmental authorities could impose significant additional obligations prior to approving such applications, or could determine not to approve such applications. Any such additional obligation, or the denial of such applications could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions and results of operations.
 
No assurance can be given that all potential environmental liabilities have been identified or properly quantified or that any prior owner, operator, or tenant has not created an environmental condition unknown to us. Moreover, no assurance can be given that (i) future laws, ordinances or regulations will not impose any material environmental liability or (ii) the current environmental condition of the properties will not be affected by the condition of land or operations in the vicinity of the properties (such as the presence of underground storage tanks), or by third parties unrelated to us. State and local environmental regulatory requirements change often.
 
It is possible that compliance with a new regulatory requirement could impose significant compliance costs on us. Such costs could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
We may have difficulty managing the risk associated with doing business in the Chinese fertilizer and feed sector.
 
In general, the fertilizer and feed sector in China is affected by a series of factors, including, but not limited to, natural, economic and social such as climate, market, technology, regulation, and globalization, which makes risk management difficult. Fertilizer and feed operations in China face similar risks as present in other countries, however, these can either be mitigated or exacerbated due to governmental intervention through policy promulgation and implementation either in the fertilizer and feed sector itself or sectors which provide critical inputs to fertilizer and feed such as energy or outputs such as transportation. While not an exhaustive list, the following factors could significantly affect our ability to do business:
 
 
·
food, feed, and energy demand including liquid fuels and crude oil;
 
·
agricultural, financial, energy and renewable energy and trade policies;
 
·
input and output pricing due to market factors and regulatory policies;
 
·
production and crop progress due to adverse weather conditions, equipment deliveries, and water and irrigation conditions; and
 
·
infrastructure conditions and policies.
 
Currently, we do not and do not intend to carry insurance to protect revenue which could be lost caused by any of the above factors.
 
We may have difficulty establishing adequate management, legal and financial controls in the PRC.
 
The PRC historically has been unaccustomed to and lacking in management and financial reporting concepts and practices as in the United States and other developed countries, as well as in modern banking, computer and other control systems. We may have difficulty in hiring and retaining a sufficient number of qualified employees to work in the PRC. As a result of these factors, we may experience difficulty in establishing management, legal and financial controls, collecting financial data and preparing financial statements, books of account and corporate records and instituting business practices that as used in United States and other developed countries. We may have difficulty in establishing adequate management, legal and financial controls in the PRC.
 
We face risks related to health epidemics and other outbreaks.
 
Our business could be adversely affected by the effects of swine flu, avian flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, or other epidemics or outbreaks. From 2005 to 2009, there have been reports on the occurrences of avian flu and swine flu in various parts of China and elsewhere in Asia, including a few confirmed human cases and deaths. Any prolonged recurrence of swine flu, avian flu, SARS or other adverse public health developments in China may have a material adverse effect on our business operations. Our operations may be impacted by a number of health-related factors, including, among other things, quarantines or closures of our factories and the facilities of our supplier and customers which could severely disrupt our operations. Any of the foregoing events or other unforeseen consequences of public health problems could adversely affect our business and results of operations. We have not adopted any written preventive measures or contingency plans to combat any future outbreak of swine flu, avian flu, SARS or any other epidemics.
 
 
57

 
Inflation in the PRC could negatively affect our profitability and growth.
 
While the PRC economy has experienced rapid growth, it has been uneven among various sectors of the economy and in different geographical areas of the country. Rapid economic growth can lead to growth in the money supply and rising inflation. If prices for our products do not rise at a rate that is sufficient to fully absorb inflation-driven increases in our costs of supplies, our profitability can be adversely affected.
 
During the past ten years, the rate of inflation in China has been fluctuating quite significantly. The Chinese government, from time to time, has adopted various corrective measures designed to restrict the availability of credit, regulate growth and contain inflation. In order to control inflation, the PRC government has imposed controls on bank credits, limits on loans for fixed assets and restrictions on state bank lending. The implementation of these and other similar policies can impede economic growth and thereby harm the market for our products and our business.
 
Because our assets and operations are located in PRC, you may have difficulty enforcing civil liabilities against us under the securities and other laws of the United States or any state.
 
We are a holding company, and most of our assets are located in the PRC. In addition, substantially all of our directors and officers are non-residents of the United States, and all or a substantial portion of the assets of these non-residents are located outside the United States, As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon these non-residents, or to enforce against them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments based upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state. There is uncertainty as to whether courts of the PRC would enforce:
 
 
·
judgments of United States courts obtained against us or these non-residents based on the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state; or
 
·
in original actions brought in the PRC, liabilities against us or non-residents predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state.
 
Enforcement of a foreign judgment in the PRC also may be limited or otherwise affected by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, arrangement, moratorium or similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and will be subject to a statutory limitation of time within which proceedings may be brought.
 
We may not receive the preferential tax treatment we previously enjoyed under PRC laws, and our global income and dividends paid to us from our operations in China may become subject to income tax under PRC law.
 
The rate of income tax on companies in China may vary depending on the availability of preferential tax treatment or subsidies based on their industry or location. The PRC government promulgated on March 16, 2007 the new Enterprise Income Tax Law, (“EIT Law”), and it’s implementing rules, which became effective January 1, 2008. Pursuant to the new law, the enterprise income tax of 25% shall be applied to any enterprise. However, Yongye Nongfeng received a High-Tech Enterprise Certificate which entitles it to a preferential tax rate of 15% for three years starting from January 1, 2010. There is no assurance we can renew our High-Tech Enterprise Certificate after it expires or if any new law may change the preferential treatment granted to us. Any loss or substantial reduction of the tax benefits enjoyed by us would reduce our net profit and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
 
Notwithstanding the foregoing provision, the new EIT Law also provides that dividends paid between “qualified resident enterprises” are exempt from enterprise income tax. Under the new EIT Law and its implementing rules, an enterprise established outside the PRC with its “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise” and will be subject to the enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on its worldwide income. The “de facto management body” is defined as the organizational body that effectively exercises overall management and control over production and business operations, personnel, finance and accounting, and properties of the enterprise. It remains unclear how the PRC tax authorities will interpret such a broad definition. Substantially most of our management members or business operations are based in the PRC. If the PRC tax authorities subsequently determine that we should be classified as a resident enterprise, then it is possible that our worldwide income will be subject to income tax at a uniform rate of 25%.
 
In addition, under the new EIT law and its implementing rules, dividends paid by a foreign invested enterprise in the PRC to its foreign investor who is a non-resident enterprise will be subject to a 10% PRC withholding income tax (5% for a qualified Hong Kong beneficial owner), unless such tax is eliminated or reduced under an applicable tax treaty. Asia Standard Oil Limited (“ASO”), the 95% shareholder of Yongye Nongfeng, is incorporated in Hong Kong. Therefore, if ASO is considered a non-resident enterprise for purposes of the new EIT law, this new withholding income tax imposed on dividends paid to us by Yongye Nongfeng would reduce our net income in the event we decide to declare a dividend, which may have an adverse effect on our operating results.
 
 
58

 
It is unclear whether the dividends we receive from Yongye Nongfeng will constitute dividends between “qualified resident enterprises” and would therefore qualify for the tax exemption because it is unclear as to (i) the detailed qualification requirements for such exemption and (ii) whether dividend payments by our PRC subsidiary and investee company to us will meet such qualification requirements, even if we are considered a PRC resident enterprise for tax purposes.
 
Moreover, since ASO, the 95% shareholder of Yongye Nongfeng, is incorporated in Hong Kong, even if ASO is considered a non-resident enterprise, it is also unclear whether ASO should be considered as a Hong Kong beneficial owner. The beneficial owner means persons who possess ownership and right of control on their proceeds or rights or properties generated from such proceeds. The beneficial owner generally engages in substantive operation activities and may be individuals, companies or any other associations. Agents and companies for tax evasion purposes are not beneficial owner. If ASO is not considered Hong Kong beneficial owner, it will be subject to a 10% PRC withholding income tax.
 
Dividends payable to our non-PRC investors and any gain on the sale of our shares may be subject to taxes under PRC tax laws.
 
If our dividends payable to our shareholders are treated as income derived from sources within China, then those dividends, and any gain on the sale or transfer of our shares, may be subject to taxes under PRC tax laws.
 
Under the EIT Law and its implementing rules, a withholding income tax at the rate of 10% is applicable to dividends paid by us to our investors that are non-resident enterprises so long as (i) any such non-resident enterprise investor does not have an establishment or place of business in China, or (ii) despite the existence of an establishment or place of business in China, the relevant income is not effectively connected with such an establishment or place of business in China and (iii) such dividends are derived from sources within PRC. Similarly, any gain realized on the transfer of our shares by such investors is also subject to a 10% income tax if such gain is regarded as income derived from sources within China and we are considered a resident enterprise domiciled in China for tax purposes. If we are required under the EIT Law to withhold PRC income tax on our dividends paid to our foreign shareholders or investors who are non-resident enterprises, or if you are required to pay PRC income tax on the transfer of our shares under the circumstances mentioned above, the value of your investment in our shares may be materially and adversely affected.
 
In January 2009, the State Administration of Taxation promulgated the Provisional Measures for the Administration of Withholding of Enterprise Income Tax for Non-resident Enterprises (“Measures”). Entities which have the direct obligation to make the following types of payments to a non-resident enterprise will be the relevant tax withholders for such a non-resident enterprise: income from equity investment (including dividends and other return on investment), interest, rent, royalties, and income from assignment of property as well as other income subject to enterprise income taxes received by non-resident enterprises in China. Further, the Measures provide that in the case of an equity transfer of a PRC company’s equity interest between two non-resident enterprises outside of the PRC, the non-resident enterprise which receives the equity transfer payment shall file a tax declaration with the PRC tax authority located at the place of the PRC company whose equity has been transferred, and the PRC company whose equity has been transferred shall assist the tax authorities to collect taxes from the relevant non-resident enterprise.
 
Moreover, the State Administration of Taxation released Circular Guoshuihan No. 698 (“Circular 698”) on December 10, 2009 that reinforces the taxation of certain equity transfers by non-resident investors through overseas holding vehicles. Circular 698 is retroactively effective from January 1, 2008. Circular 698 addresses indirect equity transfers as well as other issues. According to Circular 698, where a non-resident investor that indirectly holds an equity interest in a PRC resident enterprise through a non-PRC offshore holding company indirectly transfers an equity interest in the PRC resident enterprise by selling an equity interest in the offshore holding company, and the latter is located in a country or jurisdiction where the actual tax burden is less than 12.5% or where the offshore income of its residents is not taxable, the non-resident investor is required to provide the PRC tax authority in charge of that PRC resident enterprise with certain relevant information within 30 days of the execution of the equity transfer agreement. The tax authorities in charge will evaluate the offshore transaction for tax purposes. In the event that the tax authorities determine that such transfer is abusing forms of business organization and a reasonable commercial purpose for the offshore holding company other than the avoidance of PRC income tax liability is lacking, the PRC tax authorities will have the power to re-assess the nature of the equity transfer under the doctrine of substance over form. If challenge of a transfer from the State Administration of Taxation is successful, it may deny the existence of the offshore holding company that is used for tax planning purposes and subject the non-resident investor to PRC tax on the capital gain from such transfer. Since Circular 698 has a short history, there is uncertainty as to its application. We may become at risk of being taxed under Circular 698 and may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with Circular 698 or to establish that we should not be taxed under Circular 698, which could have a material adverse effect on its financial condition and results of operations. If the PRC tax authority determines that Circular 698 applies to us (or a non-resident investor), we (or a non-resident investor) will be obligated to make a tax return filing with the relevant PRC tax authority in accordance with PRC tax laws and regulations.
 
 
59

 
PRC regulation of direct investment and loans by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or limit our ability to use the proceeds of any offering of securities to make additional capital contributions or loans to our PRC operating business.
 
Any capital contributions or loans that we, as an offshore company, make to our PRC operating business are subject to PRC regulations. For example, any of our loans to our PRC operating business cannot exceed the difference between the total amount of investment our PRC operating business are approved to make under relevant PRC laws and their respective registered capital, and must be registered with the local branch of SAFE as a procedural matter. In addition, our capital contributions to Yongye Nongfeng must be approved by MOFCOM or its local counterpart and registered with the SAIC or its local counterpart. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain these approvals on a timely basis, or at all. If we fail to obtain such approvals, our ability to make equity contributions or provide loans to our PRC operating business or to fund its operations may be negatively affected, which could adversely affect its liquidity and its ability to fund its working capital and expansion projects and meet its obligations and commitments. Furthermore, SAFE promulgated a circular in August 2008 with respect to the administration of conversion of foreign exchange capital contribution of foreign invested enterprises into RMB. Pursuant to that circular, RMB converted from foreign exchange capital contribution can only be used for the activities within the approved business scope of such foreign invested enterprise and cannot be used for domestic equity investment unless otherwise allowed by PRC laws or regulations. As a result, we may not be able to convert Yongye Nongfeng’s newly increased capital contribution into RMB for equity investment in China.
 
PRC labor law restricts our ability to reduce our workforce in the PRC in the event of an economic downturn and may increase our labor costs.
 
In June 2007, the National People’s Congress of the PRC enacted the Labor Contract Law, which became effective on January 1, 2008. To clarify certain details in connection with the implementation of the Labor Contract Law, the State Council promulgated the Implementing Rules for the Labor Contract Law, or the implementing Rules, on September 18, 2008 which came into effect immediately. The Labor Contract Law provides various rules regarding employment contracts that will likely have a substantial impact on employment practices in China. The Labor Contract Law imposes severe penalties on employers that fail to timely enter into employment contracts with employees. The employer is required to pay a double salary to the employee if it does not enter into a written contract with the employee within one month of the employment, and a non-fixed-term contract is assumed if a written contract is not executed after one year of the employment. Additionally, the Labor Contract Law sets a limit of two fixed-term contracts regardless of the length of each term, after which the contract must be renewed on a non-fixed-term basis should the parties agree to a further renewal unless otherwise required by the respective employee. This requirement curtails the common practice of continuously renewing short-term employment contracts. The Implementing Rules appear to further tighten this rule by suggesting that an employee has the right to demand a non-fixed-term contract upon the completion of the second fixed term regardless of whether the employer agrees to a contract renewal. A non-fixed-term contract does not have a termination date and it is generally difficult to terminate such a contract because termination must be based on limited statutory grounds. The employer can no longer supplement such statutory grounds through an agreement with the employee. In addition, the Labor Contract Law requires the payment of statutory severance upon the termination of an employment contract in most circumstances, including the expiration of a fixed-term employment contract.
 
Under the Labor Contract Law, employers can only impose a post-termination non-competition provision on employees for a maximum period of two years. If an employer intends to maintain the enforceability of a post-termination non-competition provision, the employer has to pay the employee compensation on a monthly basis post-termination of the employment. Under the Labor Contract Law, a “mass layoff” is defined as termination of more than 20 employees or more than 10% of the workforce. The Labor Contract Law expands the circumstances under which a mass layoff can be conducted, such as when a company undertakes a restructuring pursuant to the PRC Enterprise Bankruptcy Law, suffers serious difficulties in business operations, changes its line of business, performs significant technology improvements, changes operating methods, or where there has been a material change in the objective economic circumstances relied upon by the parties at the time of the conclusion of the employment contract, thereby making the performance of such employment contract impractical. The employer must follow specific procedures in conducting a mass layoff. There is little guidance on what penalties an employer will suffer if it fails to follow the procedural requirements in conducting the mass layoff. Finally, the Labor Contract Law requires that the employer discuss the company’s internal rules and regulations that directly affect the employees’ material interests (such as employees’ salary, work hours, leave, benefits, and training, etc.) with all employees or employee representative assemblies and consult with the trade union or employee representatives on such matters before making a final decision.
 
All of our employees based exclusively within the PRC are covered by these laws. As there has been little guidance and precedents as to how the Labor Contract Law and its Implementing Rules shall be enforced by the relevant PRC authorities, there remains uncertainty as to their potential impact on our business and results of operations. The compliance with the Labor Contract Law and its implementing Rules may increase our operating expenses, in particular our personnel expenses and labor service expenses. If we want to maintain the enforceability of any of our employees’ post-termination non-competition provisions, the compensation and procedures required under the Labor Contract Law may add substantial costs and cause logistical burdens to us. Prior to the Labor Contract Law such compensation was often structured as part of the employee’s salary during employment, and was not an additional compensation cost. In the event that we decide to terminate employees or otherwise change our employment or labor practices, the Labor Contract Law and its Implementing Rules may also limit our ability to effect these changes in a manner that we believe to be cost-effective or desirable, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. In particular, our ability to adjust the size of our operations when necessary in periods of recession or less severe economic downturns such as the recent financial turmoil may be affected. In addition, during periods of economic decline when mass layoffs become more common, local regulations may tighten the procedures by, among other things, requiring the employer to obtain approval from the relevant local authority before conducting any mass layoff. Such regulations can be expected to exacerbate the adverse effect of the economic environment on our results of operations and financial condition.
 
 
60

 
Failure to fully comply with PRC labor laws may expose us to potential liability.
 
Companies operating in China must comply with a variety of labor laws, including certain social insurance, housing fund and other staff welfare-oriented payment obligations. While we believe we have complied with such obligations, there exist uncertainties as to the interpretation, implementation and enforcement of such obligations. If relevant governmental authorities determine that we have not complied fully with such obligations, we may be in violation of applicable PRC labor laws and we cannot assure you that PRC governmental authorities will not impose penalties on us for any failure to comply. In addition, in the event that any current or former employee files a complaint with relevant governmental authorities, we may be subject to making up such staff-welfare oriented obligations as well as paying administrative fines.
 
Risks Related to our Securities
 
There are risks and uncertainties associated with our proposed merger with Full Alliance International Limited, Yongye International Limited and Yongye International Merger Sub Limited.
 
As previously announced, on September 23, 2013, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Full Alliance International Limited, a British Virgin Islands company (“Holdco”), Yongye International Limited, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Holdco (“Parent”), and Yongye International Merger Sub Limited, a Nevada corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”, together with the Company, Holdco and Parent, the “Parties” and any one of them a “Party”). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, upon the terms and subject to the conditions thereof, at the effective time of the merger, Merger Sub will be merged with and into the Company, the Company will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent and each of the Company’s shares of common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger will be converted into the right to receive US$6.69 in cash without interest, except for (i) shares owned by Holdco, Parent and Merger Sub, including shares of common stock and Preferred Shares to be contributed to Parent by Holdco, Mr. Zishen Wu, Prosper Sino Development Limited and MSPEA, immediately prior to the effective time of the merger pursuant to a contribution agreement, dated as of September 23, 2013, among Parent, Holdco, Mr. Zishen Wu, Prosper Sino Development Limited and MSPEA (except that, with respect to Prosper Sino, only such shares designated as “Prosper Sino rollover shares” in the preliminary proxy statement in connection with the special meeting of stockholders will be contributed), and (ii) shares of common stock held by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company, which will be cancelled for no consideration and cease to exist as of the effective time of the merger. Currently, Holdco, Mr. Zishen Wu, Prosper Sino Development Limited and MSPEA, collectively beneficially own approximately 33.1% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock, on an as converted basis.
 
The Merger Agreement contains representations and warranties of the Parties that are, in general, customary for a transaction of this type. The assertions embodied in those representations and warranties were made solely for purposes of the contract among the Parties and may be subject to important qualifications and limitations agreed to by the Parties in connection with the negotiated terms. Moreover, some of those representations and warranties may not be accurate or complete as of any specified date, may be subject to a contractual standard of materiality different from those generally applicable to investors or may have been used for purposes of allocating risk among the Parties rather than establishing matters as facts.
 
The Parties have also agreed to certain covenants, including covenants requiring the Company to conduct its business in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice in all material respects and use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve substantially intact its business organization and relationships with governmental authorities, customers, suppliers and other persons with which it has material business relations and keep available the services of its current officers and key employees through the effective time of the merger, except as expressly provided in the Merger Agreement.
 
The Merger Agreement also includes customary termination provisions for both the Company and Parent. In specified circumstances, if the Merger Agreement is terminated, the Company shall pay Parent a termination fee in the amount of $4,000,000 or $2,000,000, as applicable, or receive from Parent a termination fee in the amount of $10,000,000. The Merger Agreement also provides that if the required stockholder approvals shall not have been obtained at the stockholders’ meeting, Parent shall reimburse the Company’s expenses up to $2,000,000.
 
There are a number of risks and uncertainties relating to the proposed merger. For example, the merger may not be consummated or may not be consummated in the timeframe or manner currently anticipated, as a result of several factors, including, among other things, the failure of one or more of the Merger Agreement’s closing conditions, Parent’s failure or litigation relating to the merger. In addition, there can be no assurance that approval of our stockholders will be obtained, that the other conditions to closing of the merger will be satisfied or waived or that other events will not intervene to delay or result in the termination of the merger. If the merger is not completed, the price of our common stock may change to the extent that the current market price of our common stock may reflect an assumption that the merger will be consummated.
 
 
61

 
Pending the closing of the merger, the Merger Agreement also restricts us from engaging in certain actions without Parent’s consent, which could prevent us from pursuing opportunities that may arise prior to the closing of the merger. Any delay in closing or a failure to close could have a negative impact on our business and stock price as well as our relationships with our customers, vendors or employees, as well as a negative impact on our ability to pursue alternative strategic transactions and/or our ability to implement alternative business plans.
 
Our business could be adversely impacted as a result of uncertainty related to the proposed merger.
 
The proposed merger could cause disruptions to our business or business relationships, which could have an adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. For example:
 
 
·
the attention of our management may be directed to transaction-related considerations and may be diverted from the day-to-day operations of our business;
 
·
our employees may experience uncertainty about their future roles with us, which might adversely affect our ability to retain and hire key personnel and other employees; and
 
·
customers, suppliers or other parties with which we maintain business relationships may experience uncertainty about our future and seek alternative relationships with third parties or seek to alter their business relationships with us.
 
In addition, we have incurred, and will continue to incur, significant costs, expenses and fees for professional services and other transaction costs in connection with the merger, and many of these fees and costs are payable by us regardless of whether or not the merger is consummated.
 
Our common stock may be affected by limited trading volume and may fluctuate significantly.
 
Our common stock is currently traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Although an active trading market had developed for our common stock, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for our common stock will be sustained. Failure to maintain an active trailing market for our common stock may adversely affect our shareholders’ ability to sell our common stock in short time periods, or at all. In addition, sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market could harm the market price of our common stock. Our common stock has experienced, and may experience in the future, significant price and volume fluctuations. Some of the factors that may materially affect the market price of our common stock are beyond our control, such as changes in financial estimates by industry and securities analysts, conditions or trends in the industry in which we operate or sales or our common stock. These factors may materially adversely affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our performance. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
 
Shares eligible for future sale may adversely affect the market price of our common stock, as the future sale of a substantial amount of our restricted stock in the public marketplace could reduce the price of our common stock.
 
From time to time, certain of our stockholders may be eligible to sell all or some of their shares of common stock by means of ordinary brokerage transactions in the open market pursuant to Rule 144, promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Rule 144”), subject to certain limitations. In general, pursuant to Rule 144, a stockholder (or stockholders whose shares are aggregated) who has satisfied a six-month holding period may, under certain circumstances, sell within any three-month period a number of securities which does not exceed the greater of 1% of the then outstanding shares of common stock or the average weekly trading-volume of the class during the four calendar weeks prior to such sale. Rule 144 also permits, under certain circumstances, the sale of securities, without any limitations, by a non-affiliate of our Company that has satisfied a one-year holding period. We have granted MSPEA and any other holders of the convertible preferred stock certain registration rights with respect to the common stock underlying the convertible preferred stock and any other shares of common stock they may otherwise own or acquire in the future. Any substantial sale of common stock pursuant to Rule 144 or pursuant to any resale prospectus, including a resale prospectus used to register the common stock underlying the convertible preferred stock, may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities.
 
There is a significant number of our common stock eligible for sale, which could depress the market price of such stock.
 
Since September 23, 2011, the effective date of the registration statement that registered the common stock underlying our convertible preferred stock, a large number of our common stock has become available for sale in the public market, which could harm the market price of the stock. Further, shares may be offered from time to time in the open market pursuant to Rule 144, and these sales may have a depressive effect as well. In general, a person who has held restricted shares for a period of six months may, upon filing a notification with the SEC on Form 144, sell common stock into the market in an amount equal to the greater of one percent of the outstanding shares or the average weekly trading volume during the last four weeks prior to such sale.
 
 
62

 
Your percentage ownership in us may be diluted by future issuances of capital stock and by the conversion of the convertible preferred stock, which could reduce your influence over matters on which stockholders vote.
 
Subject only to any applicable stockholder approval requirements imposed by the Nasdaq Global Select Market, our board of directors has the authority to issue all or any part of our authorized but unissued shares of common stock. Issuances of common stock would reduce your influence over matters on which our stockholders vote. The conversion of the convertible preferred stock will dilute your percentage ownership.
 
Stockholders should have no expectation of any dividends.
 
To date, we have not declared nor paid any cash dividends. The Board of Directors does not intend to declare any dividends on our common stock in the near future, but instead intends to retain all earnings, if any, for use in the operation and expansion of our business. If we decide to pay dividends, foreign exchange and other regulations in China may restrict our ability to distribute retained earnings from China or convert those payments from Renminbi into foreign currencies.
 
Techniques employed by manipulative short sellers in Chinese small cap stocks may drive down the market price of our common stock.
 
Short selling is the practice of selling securities that the seller does not own but rather has, supposedly, borrowed from a third party with the intention of buying identical securities back at a later date to return to the lender. The short seller hopes to profit from a decline in the value of the securities between the sale of the borrowed securities and the purchase of the replacement shares, as the short seller expects to pay less in that purchase than it received in the sale. As it is therefore in the short seller’s best interests for the price of the stock to decline, many short sellers (sometime known as “disclosed shorts”) publish, or arrange for the publication of, negative opinions regarding the relevant issuer and its business prospects in order to create negative market momentum and generate profits for themselves after selling a stock short. While traditionally these disclosed shorts were limited in their ability to access mainstream business media or to otherwise create negative market rumors, the rise of the Internet and technological advancements regarding document creation, videotaping and publication by weblog (“blogging”) have allowed many disclosed shorts to publicly attack a company’s credibility, strategy and veracity by means of so-called research reports that mimic the type of investment analysis performed by large Wall Street firm and independent research analysts. These short attacks have, in the past, led to selling of shares in the market, on occasion in large scale and broad base. Issuers with business operations based in China and who have limited trading volumes and are susceptible to higher volatility levels than U.S. domestic large-cap stock, and can be particularly vulnerable to such short attacks.
 
These short seller publications are not regulated by any governmental, self-regulatory organization or other official authority in the U.S., are not subject to the certification requirements imposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission in Regulation AC (Regulation Analyst Certification) and, accordingly, the opinions they express may be based on distortions of actual facts or, in some cases, fabrications of facts. In light of limited risks involved in publishing such information, and the enormous profit that can be made from running just one successful short attack, unless the short sellers become subject to significant penalties, it is more likely than not that disclosed shorts will continue to issue such reports.
 
While we intend to strongly defend our public filings against any such short seller attacks, often times we are constrained, either by principles of freedom of speech, applicable state law (often called “Anti-SLAPP statutes”), or issues of commercial confidentiality, in the manner in which we can proceed against the relevant short seller. You should be aware that in light of the relative freedom to operate that such persons enjoy — oftentimes blogging from outside the U.S. with little or no assets or identity requirements — should we be targeted for such an attack, our stock will likely suffer from a temporary, or possibly long term, decline in market price should the rumors created not be dismissed by market participants.
 
In February, March, May and December of 2011, and January of 2012, there were reports published by the Seeking Alpha website, analysts, and other web-based publishers that contained misleading statements about us. Although we have responded to each of these reports in press releases dated February 7, 2011, March 24, 2011, May 19, 2011 and December 15, 2011, there are predictions that there will continue to be more short seller attacks against Chinese companies. As a result, the price of our stock remains vulnerable to any further attacks in this regard.
 
 
63

 
We are the subject of pending class action lawsuits, which could require us to pay substantial damages or could otherwise have a material adverse effect on us.
 
On or about October 18, 2012 and October 22, 2012, five shareholder class action complaints were filed against the Company and certain officers and directors thereof in connection with the preliminary, non-binding proposal letter dated October 15, 2012, from Mr. Zishen Wu, MSPEA and Abax Global Capital (Hong Kong) Limited, to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of the Company not already owned by those parties, in a going private transaction for $6.60 per share of common stock in cash, subject to certain conditions (the “ Wu Proposal ”). The five complaints are captioned, respectively, Doherty v. Yongye International, Inc., et al., A-12-670343-C; Kirby v. Zishen Wu, et al. , A-12-670468-C; Calisti v. Zishen Wu, et al., Case No. A-12-670758-B; Kong, et al. v. Zishen Wu, et. al., Case No. A-12-670874-B; and Harris v. Yongye International, Inc., et al. , Case No. A-12-670817-B.. Each of the complaints was filed in Nevada state court in the District Court, Clark County, and each challenged the Wu Proposal, alleging among other things, that the consideration to be paid in such proposal was inadequate, as was the process by which the proposal was being evaluated. The complaints sought, among other relief, to enjoin defendants from consummating the Wu Proposal and to direct defendants to exercise their fiduciary duties to obtain a transaction that is in the best interests of all of the Company’s shareholders. On or about March 5, 2013, the plaintiff in the Doherty case filed a notice of voluntary dismissal. By stipulation and order, filed on April 23, 2013, the remaining cases were consolidated for all purposes under the caption In re Yongye International, Inc. Shareholders’ Litigation, Case No. A-12-670468-B (the “Consolidation Order”). Under the Consolidation Order, the plaintiffs were directed to file an consolidated complaint within 20 days of the announcement of a definitive merger agreement entered into in connection with any proposed going private transaction. On October 18, 2013 the parties stipulated, and the Court ordered, that the plaintiffs would file the consolidated complaint within 14 days of the filing of the preliminary proxy statement (the “Consolidation Stipulation”). The preliminary proxy statement was filed on October 28, 2013, and the consolidated complaint was filed on November 7, 2013.  The Company has reviewed the allegations contained in the consolidated complaint and believes they are without merit. The Company intends to defend the litigation vigorously. As such, based on the information known to date, the Company does not believe that it is probable that a material judgment against it will result.
 
An SEC investor bulletin regarding reverse mergers may drive down the market price of our common stock.
 
On June 9, 2011, the SEC issued an investor bulletin in which it explained the process by which a company becomes a public company by means of a reverse merger, described the potential risks of investing in a reverse merger company and detailed recent enforcement actions taken by it against certain reverse merger companies. In particular the investor bulletin raised specific concerns with respect to foreign companies that access the U.S. markets through the reverse merger process, as we did. The SEC investor bulletin could cause investors in our common stock to sell their shares and may cause other investors not to invest in us, thus driving down the market price of our common stock or making it more difficult for us to raise funds in the future.
 
Our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit documentation related to their audit reports included in our annual report may be located in the People’s Republic of China. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board currently cannot inspect audit documentation located in the People’s Republic of China and, as such, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection.
 
Our independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit reports included in our annual reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as auditors of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the “PCAOB”), is required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess its compliance with the applicable laws of the United States and professional standards. Because the audit documentation relating to our auditor’s audit report is located in the People’s Republic of China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities, such auditor, like other independent registered accounting firms operating in China, is not currently inspected by the PCAOB.
 
Inspections of other firms that the PCAOB has conducted outside of China have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. This lack of PCAOB inspections in China prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating audit documentation located in China and its related quality control procedures. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections. On December 3, 2012, the SEC issued an order instituting administrative proceedings against the Chinese affiliates of five of the largest global public accounting firms relating to work performed in the PRC and such firms’ failure to provide audit workpapers to the SEC in this regard. As the administrative proceedings are ongoing, we cannot predict the outcome of this matter or the effect it may have on our ability to make timely filings with the SEC.
 
ITEM 2.
UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
 
None.
 
ITEM 3.
DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
 
None.
 
ITEM 4.
MINING SAFETY DISCLOSURE
 
Not applicable.
 
ITEM 5.
OTHER INFORMATION
 
None.
 
ITEM 6.
EXHIBITS
 
 
64

 
Exhibit No.
 
Description
10.1
 
Liquid Capital Loan Contract dated July 18, 2013 between Inner Mongolia Yongye Nongfeng Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and Agricultural Bank of China.*
10.2
 
Pledge Agreement dated July 18, 2013, between Inner Mongolia Yongye Nongfeng Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and Agricultural Bank of China.*
31.1
 
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.*
31.2
 
Certification of the Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.*
32.1
 
Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.*
101.INS
 
XBRL Instance Document*
101.SCH
 
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document*
101.CAL
 
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document*
101.DEF
 
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document*
101.LAB
 
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document*
101.PRE
 
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document*
* Filed Herewith
 
 
65

 
SIGNATURES
 
In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
 
 
 
Yongye International, Inc.
 
 
By:
/s/ Zishen Wu
 
 
 
Name: Zishen Wu
November 12, 2013
 
 
Title: Chief Executive Officer and President
 
 
 
(Principal Executive Officer)
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:
/s/ Sam Yu 
 
 
 
Name: Sam Yu
 
 
 
Title: Chief Financial Officer
 
 
 
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
 
 
 
 
 
 
66