20-F 1 f20f2020_brasilagro.htm ANNUAL REPORT

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 20-F

 

☐  REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

OR

 

 ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020

 

OR

 

☐  TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

OR

 

☐ SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Commission file number 001-35723

 

BRASILAGRO – COMPANHIA BRASILEIRA DE
PROPRIEDADES AGRÍCOLAS

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

BrasilAgro – Brazilian Agricultural Real Estate Company

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

 

The Federative Republic of Brazil

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

 

Av. Brigadeiro Faria Lima, 1309, 5th floor, São Paulo, SP 01452-002, Brazil

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

Gustavo Javier Lopez

Chief Administrative Officer and Investor Relations Officer

Tel.: +55 11 3035 5350 – E-mail: ri@brasil-agro.com

Av. Brigadeiro Faria Lima, 1309, 5th floor
São Paulo, SP 01452-002, Brazil

(Name, Telephone, E-mail or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

 

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class   Trading Symbol(s)   Name of each exchange on which registered
American Depositary Shares, each representing one ordinary share, no par value   LND   New York Stock Exchange
         
Ordinary Shares*     New York Stock Exchange*

 

* Not for trading, but only in connection with the registration of American Depositary Shares.

 

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None

 

 

 

 

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.

 

Ordinary shares, no par value   62,104,301 

  

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

 

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Yes ☐   No ☒

 

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 ☒   No ☐.

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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 such files). Yes ☐  No ☐ (Note: None required for registrant)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:

 

Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☒ Non-accelerated filer ☐
    Emerging growth company ☒

 

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

 

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

 

U.S. GAAP ☐

International Financial Reporting Standards as issued

by the International Accounting Standards Board  ☒

Other ☐

 

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow. Item 17 ☐  Item 18 ☐

 

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐   No ☒

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  Page
   
Part I 1
   
INTRODUCTION 1
   
ITEM 1—IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS 3
ITEM 2—OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE 3
ITEM 3—KEY INFORMATION 3
ITEM 4—INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY 25
ITEM 4A—UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS 46
ITEM 5—OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS 46
ITEM 6—DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES 69
ITEM 7—MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS 77
ITEM 8—FINANCIAL INFORMATION 81
ITEM 9—THE OFFER AND LISTING 86
ITEM 10—ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 89
ITEM 11—QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK 117
ITEM 12— DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES 118
   
Part II 120
   
ITEM 13—DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES 120
ITEM 14—MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS 120
ITEM 15—CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES 120
ITEM 16A—AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT 121
ITEM 16B—CODE OF ETHICS 121
ITEM 16C—PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES 122
ITEM 16D—EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES 122
ITEM 16E—PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS 123
ITEM 16F—CHANGE IN REGISTRANT’S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT 123
ITEM 16G—CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 123
ITEM 16H—MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE 124
   
Part III 125
   
ITEM 17—FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 125
ITEM 18—FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 125
ITEM 19—EXHIBITS 125

  

 i 

 

 

Part I

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Unless the context otherwise requires, the term “BrasilAgro” refers to BrasilAgro – Companhia Brasileira de Propriedades Agrícolas and its consolidated subsidiaries; and unless indicated otherwise, the terms “we,” the “Company,” “our” or “us” refer to BrasilAgro. The term “Brazil” refers to The Federative Republic of Brazil.

 

Presentation of Financial Information

 

All references in this annual report to “real,” “reais” or “R$” are to the Brazilian real, the official currency of Brazil. All references to “dollars” or “US$” are to U.S. dollars, the official currency of the United States of America.

 

On June 30, 2020, the end of our last fiscal year, the exchange rate for reais into U.S. dollars was R$5.4760 to US$1.00, based on the selling rate as reported by the Central Bank of Brazil (Banco Central do Brasil), or the Central Bank. On June 30, 2019, the selling rate was R$3.8322 to US$1.00. The selling rate was R$3.8552 to US$1.00 on June 30, 2018, R$3.3082 to US$1.00 on June 30, 2017 and R$3.2098 to US$1.00 on June 30, 2016, in each case, as reported by the Central Bank. The real/U.S. dollar exchange rate fluctuates widely, and the selling rate on June 30, 2020 may not be indicative of future exchange rates. On September 30, 2020, the selling rate was R$5.6407 to US$1.00 and, on October 28, 2020, the selling rate was R$5.7325 to US$1.00, as reported by the Central Bank.

 

Financial Statements

 

The Brazilian real is our functional currency and that of our subsidiaries located in Brazil, and is also the currency used for the preparation and presentation of our consolidated financial statements. Our fiscal year is from July 1 of each year to June 30 of the following year.

 

We prepare our annual consolidated financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, or IFRS, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or the IASB.

 

The selected financial information should be read together with our audited consolidated financial statements, including the notes thereto, included elsewhere in this annual report.

 

Crop Year, Harvest and Planting Season

 

Our agricultural production is based on the crop year, which varies according to each crop. The crop year for sugarcane is from January 1 to December 31 of each year, and the crop year for grains is from July 1 of each year to June 30 of the following year. We also make reference in this annual report to the planting season and the harvest season, or harvest period. In Brazil, the planting season for grains is from September to December of each year, and the planting season for sugarcane is from February to May of each year. The harvest period in Brazil for grains is from February to July of each year, and such period for sugarcane is from April to November of each year.

 

Market Information

 

The market information included in this annual report concerning the Brazilian economy and the domestic and international agriculture industry was obtained from market research, publicly available information and industry publications from established public sources, such as the Central Bank, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística), or the IBGE, the Brazilian Food Supply Company (Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento), or Conab, which is a state-owned company, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento), or MAPA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, the U.S. Food and Agriculture Organization, or FAO, the United Nations, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, as well as from other public institutions and independent sources as indicated throughout this annual report. We believe that such information is true and accurate as of the date it was made available, although we have not independently verified it.

 

 1 

 

 

Rounding

 

Certain percentages and amounts included in this annual report have been rounded for ease of presentation. Accordingly, figures shown as totals in certain tables may not be arithmetic aggregations of the figures that precede them.

 

Emerging Growth Company Status

 

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 3(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. Therefore, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies,” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or any Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or “PCAOB,” rules, which, if adopted in the future, would require mandatory audit firm rotation and auditor discussion and analysis pursuant to any future audit rule promulgated by the PCAOB (unless the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, determines otherwise). We take advantage of the exemption from providing an auditor’s attestation report and may decide to rely on other exemptions in the future, such as compliance with certain PCAOB rules. We do not know if some investors will find our common stock less attractive as a result. The result may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may become more volatile.

 

We could remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest of (a) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenue exceeds US$1.07 billion, (b) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of our first sale of our common equity securities pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, (c) the date on which we have issued more than US$1 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three-year period, or (d) the date on which we become a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds US$700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

This annual report includes statements that constitute forward-looking statements. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of our management and on information available to our management at the time such statements were made. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (a) information concerning possible or assumed future results of our operations, earnings, industry conditions, demand and pricing for our services and other aspects of our business described under “Item 4—Information on the Company,” “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” and “Item 11—Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk”; and (b) statements that are preceded or followed by, or include, the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “is confident,” “plans,” “estimates,” “may,” “might,” “could,” “will,” “would,” the negatives of such terms or similar expressions.

 

The forward-looking statements included in this annual report relate to, among other factors:

 

our business prospects and future results of operations;

 

weather and other natural phenomena;

 

the length and severity of the recent novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, or the COVID-19 pandemic;

 

developments in, or changes to, the laws, regulations and governmental policies governing our business, including limitations on ownership of farmland by foreign entities in certain jurisdiction in which we operate, environmental laws and regulations;

 

the implementation of our business strategy;

 

our plans relating to acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances or divestitures;

 

the implementation of our financing strategy and capital expenditure plan;

 

the maintenance of relationships with our customers;

 

 2 

 

 

the competitive nature of the industry in which we operate;

 

the cost and availability of financing;

 

future demand for the commodities we produce;

 

international prices for commodities;

 

the condition of our land holdings;

 

the development of the logistics and infrastructure for transportation of our products in the countries where we operate;

 

the performance of the Brazilian and world economies;

 

the relative value of the Brazilian real compared to other currencies; and

 

the factors discussed under “Item 3—Key Information—3.D. Risk Factors” in this annual report.

 

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although we make such statements based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from our expectations. Many of the factors that will determine these results are beyond our ability to control or predict.

 

Any of the risk factors described under “Item 3—Key Information—Risk Factors” and those described elsewhere in this annual report or in our other filings with the SEC, among other things, could cause our results to differ from any results or conditions that might be projected, forecasted or estimated by us in any such forward-looking statements.

 

We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange regulation. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. 

 

ITEM 1—IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 2—OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 3—KEY INFORMATION

 

A.Selected Consolidated Financial Data

 

We prepare our annual consolidated financial statements in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB.

 

Due to the nature of our business and the harvest periods in the locations where we operate, our fiscal year ends on June 30 of each year. References in this annual report to a specific fiscal year relate to the fiscal year ended on June 30 of that calendar year, unless indicated otherwise.

 

The selected financial data has been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements as of June 30, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016, and for each of the years ended June 30, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016. The information set forth below is qualified by reference to, and should be read in conjunction with, our audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto and also “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” included in this annual report.

 

 3 

 

 

Effects of the adoption of the amendments to IAS 41 and IAS 16

 

In 2014, the IASB amended IAS 16 and IAS 41, which distinguish bearer plants from other biological assets. Bearer plants are solely used to grow products over their productive lives and are seen to be similar to an item of property, plant and equipment under the scope of IAS 16, rather than other biological assets that falls under the scope of IAS 41. However, the agricultural products growing on bearer plants remain within the scope of IAS 41 and are measured at fair value less cost to sell. The amendments were applicable as from our fiscal year ended June 30, 2017.

 

Our sugarcane plantations qualify as bearer plants under the new definition in IAS 41. As required under IAS 8, “Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors,” we effected the change in accounting policy retrospectively as of July 1, 2014. The standard became effective as from our fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2016 and, consequently, our sugarcane was reclassified to property, plant and equipment, measured at cost and depreciated over its useful life on a straight-line basis. We adopted the transitional rule provided for in the amendment, which allowed us to apply the fair value of bearer plants as their deemed cost as of July 1, 2014. Accordingly, we revised the comparative financial data amounts for the year ended June 30, 2016.

 

In order to improve the presentation of leases payable in the statement of financial position starting in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020, all lease payables are presented under “leases payable.” For comparability purposes, leases payable that were presented under “trade accounts payable and others” and under “finance leases” as of June 30, 2019 were also reclassified under “leases payable.” See Note 2.1 to the financial statements included in this annual report. Accordingly, financial data as of June 30, 2018, 2017 and 2016 have not been revised, and are not comparable to the financial data as of June 30, 2020 and 2019.

 

   Year ended June 30, 
   2020   2019   2018   2017   2016 
   (in R$ thousands, except share and per share information) 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME                    
Revenue   487,568    357,910    244,278    146,911    147,128 
Gain on sale of farms   61,420    142,812    39,817    26,716     
Changes in fair value of biological assets and agricultural products   160,371    56,718    99,083    12,266    (12,632)
Adjustments to net realizable value of agricultural products after harvest, net   (4,153)   (2,040)   883    (1,655)   659 
Cost of sales   (483,813)   (319,214)   (228,319)   (136,362)   (134,714)
Gross profit   221,393    236,186    155,742    47,876    441 
Selling expenses   (14,300)   (10,536)   (10,087)   (6,676)   (2,732)
General and administrative expenses   (43,890)   (38,812)   (34,945)   (30,941)   (28,944)
Other operating income (expenses), net   1,231    (1,064)   35,432    (6,019)   2,812)
Share of (loss) profit of a joint venture   (150)   1,102    14,671    (4,425)   (511)
Operating income (loss)   164,284    186,876    160,813    (185)   (28,934)
Financial income   375,413    310,538    129,323    110,090    192,644 
Financial expenses   (406,168)   (297,616)   (137,879)   (76,646)   (154,270)
Financial (expense) income, net   (30,755)   12,922    (8,566)   33,444    38,374 
Profit before income and social contribution taxes   133,529    199,798    152,257    33,259    9,440 
Income and social contribution taxes   (13,975)   (22,719)   (25,919)   (5,949)   (1,451)
Net Profit for the year   119,554    177,079    126,338    27,310    7,989 
Profit attributable to equity holders of the parent   119,554    177,079    126,338    27,310    7,989 
Issued shares at the fiscal year end   62,104,301    56,888,916    56,888,916    56,888,916    58,226,600 
Basic earnings per share   2.11    3.29    2.35    0.48    0.14 
Diluted earnings per share   2.09    3.27    2.35    0.48    0.14 
CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW                         
Net cash flows from (used in) operating activities   69,024    51,338    (2,264)   65,051    (6,440)
Net cash flows (used in) from investing activities   (29,295)   (21,266)   (65,700)   (13,527)   149,773 
Net cash flows (used in) from financing activities   18,451    (27,621)   125,414    (61,930)   (164,749)

 

 4 

 

 

   Year ended June 30, 
   2020   2019   2018   2017   2016 
   (in R$ thousands) 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION                    
Assets                    
Current assets                    
Cash and cash equivalents   171,045    106,627    104,314    43,798    54,204 
Marketable securities       4,038    11,215    6,972    113,559 
Accounts receivable and others   183,350    125,320    95,176    54,026    31,072 
Inventories   138,778    97,068    69,622    22,658    18,197 
Biological assets   115,553    99,881    61,993    38,260    22,285 
Derivative financial instruments   7,180    5,906    28,299    4,090    24,497 
Transactions with related parties   701    1,987    1,660    1,298    1,065 
Total current assets   616,607    440,827    372,279    171,102    264,879 
                          
Non-current assets held for sale   25,857                 
                          
Non-current assets                         
Biological assets   25,444    23,235    34,053    13,435    5,241 
Restricted marketable securities   5,044    9,114    18,226    17,088    20,353 
Transactions with related parties   1,511            35,640    44,363 
                          
Deferred taxes   23,282    20,510    32,742    53,780    55,594 
Derivative financial instruments   1,746    1,013    4,053    1     
Accounts receivable and others   262,387    203,533    74,775    44,605    42,497 
Investment properties   858,261    548,717    557,152    389,799    287,867 
Investments   5,742    1,256    86    101,426    102,955 
Property, plant and equipment   115,925    107,852    84,830    54,745    27,803 
Intangible assets   1,469    1,557    1,403    1,672    3,450 
Right-of-use assets   101,093                 
Total non-current assets   1,401,904    916,787    807,320    712,191    590,123 
Total assets   2,044,368    1,357,614    1,179,599    883,293    855,002 
Liabilities and equity                         
Current liabilities                         
Trade accounts payable and others   111,170    92,954    106,445    55,615    26,602 
Loans, financing and debentures   217,274    76,608    68,412    56,620    51,615 
Salaries and Payroll obligations   19,600    17,093    14,300    11,513    8,856 
Derivative financial instruments   18,333    11,055    10,489    3,978    2,165 
Payables for purchase of farms   5,017            24,646    22,261 
Transactions with related parties   2,849    2,405    1,831    4,784    536 
Leases payable   25,849    26,503             
Financial leases           1,676         
Total current liabilities   400,092    226,618    203,153    157,156    112,035 
                          
Non-current liabilities                         
Trade accounts payable and others   28,002    19,451    11,298    1,520    1,402 
Loans, financing and debentures   296,839    209,245    187,393    55,555    48,230 
Deferred taxes   34,031                 
Leases payable   126,514    20,943             
Financial leases           18,539         
Derivative financial instruments   1,462        2,145        4,392 
Provision for legal claims   1,485    824    1,207    1,594    1,455 
Other liabilities   34,374                 
                          
Total non-current liabilities   522,707    250,463    220,582    58,669    55,479 
Equity                         
                          
Capital   699,811    584,224    584,224    584,224    584,224 
Capital reserve   (34,292)   3,645    1,997    1,525    1,771 
Treasury shares   (31,501)   (35,208)   (35,208)   (36,797)   (37,203)
Income reserves   358,606    281,052    164,968    75,101    98,691 
Additional dividends proposed   13,606    7,944             
Other comprehensive income   115,339    38,876    39,883    43,415    40,005 
                          
 Total equity   1,121,569    880,533    755,864    667,468    687,488 
                          
Total liabilities and equity   2,044,368    1,357,614    1,179,599    883,293    855,002 

 

 5 

 

 

We have included in this annual report information with respect to dividends and interest on shareholders’ equity paid to holders of our common shares since the fiscal year ended June 30, 2016 in reais and in U.S. dollars translated from reais at the commercial market selling rate in effect as of the payment date under the caption “Item 8—Financial Information—Dividends and Dividend Policy—Recent Dividend Payments.”

  

Exchange Rates

 

Our dividends, when paid in cash, are denominated in reais. As a result, exchange rate fluctuations have affected and will affect the U.S. dollar amounts received by holders of ADSs on conversion of such dividends by The Bank of New York, as the ADS depositary. The Bank of New York converts dividends it receives from reais into U.S. dollars upon receipt, by sale or such other manner as it has determined, and distributes such U.S. dollars to holders of ADSs, net of The Bank of New York’s expenses of conversion, any applicable taxes and other governmental charges. Exchange rate fluctuations may also affect the U.S. dollar price of the ADSs.

 

The Brazilian government may impose temporary restrictions on the conversion of reais into foreign currencies and on the remittance to foreign investors of proceeds from their investments in Brazil. Brazilian law permits the government to impose these restrictions whenever it determines there is an imbalance in Brazil’s balance of payments or reason to expect that one will occur.

 

On June 30, 2020, the real/U.S. dollar exchange rate was R$5.4760 per US$1.00. On September 30, 2020, the real/U.S. dollar exchange rate was R$5.6407 per US$1.00 and, on October 28, 2020, the selling rate was R$5.7325 to US$1.00.

 

B.Capitalization and Indebtedness

 

Not applicable.

 

C.Reasons for the offer and use of proceeds

 

Not applicable.

 

D.Risk Factors

 

Risks Relating to our Business and Industry

 

We may be exposed to risks related to health epidemics and pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus known as COVID-19 surfaced in Wuhan, China. The outbreak was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. The speed and extent of the spread of COVID-19, and the duration and intensity of resulting business disruption and related financial and social impact are uncertain. We cannot foresee the extent, duration and the impacts of the measures adopted by the Brazilian or other governments to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are no recent comparable events that may guide us. Outbreaks of contagious diseases could have an adverse effect on our business and operations.

 

 6 

 

 

In March 2020, we developed and implemented a plan comprised of certain measures to protect the health of our employees, prevent the spread of COVID-19 at our facilities and mitigate its effects on our operations. These measures included:

 

the creation of a Prevention and Risk Committee to assess the overall situation, propose and revise preventive measures and actions to minimize risks, and coordinate the implementation of action plans;

 

the adoption of a remote work policy for employees who are in certain risk groups or who work at our corporate headquarters in São Paulo;

 

the implementation of certain measures and protocols to protect the safety of all persons involved in our operations, pursuant to the guidelines of the Brazilian Ministry of Health (Ministério da Saúde); and

 

the adoption of contingency plans to prevent disruption in our operations.

 

Our operations in Brazil and Paraguay continued normally and, to date, we have not had had any material impact on our business and operations arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

However, the COVID-19 pandemic could affect our operations if a significant portion of our workforce is unable to work due to the spread of the virus, quarantines, government actions, the shutdown of facilities or other restrictions. Part of our revenue is generated by the sale of commodities to local customers, but the global market for such commodities relies on an extensive logistics and supply chain, including ports, distribution centers and suppliers. In addition, the high volatility of the Brazilian real/U.S. dollar exchange rate and the prices of commodities as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could result in losses for us.

 

We have experienced strong demand for exports because of the appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Brazilian real. We have not experienced any significant disruptions in our logistics and export operations, as well as in inbound shipments of raw materials and goods, most of which had been acquired prior to the imposition of quarantine restrictions in Brazil. We have also not experienced any material changes in commitments for the 2019/2020 crop year. Our management believes that we are well positioned to withstand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

We have preserved our short-term and long-term liquidity, and changes in inbound and outbound shipments were scaled not to materially affect our financial position. We did not identify any significant risks with regard to our capacity to continue operating.

 

We are unable to determine the full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic may impact our business or results of operations in the future, which will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. See “—Risks Relating to Brazil—The measures taken or to be implemented by the Brazilian government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic may have an adverse effect on our business and operations.”

 

Our ability to implement our business strategy successfully may be adversely affected by numerous factors beyond our control, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our business strategy depends on our ability to acquire, develop, operate and sell our agricultural properties on a profitable basis. Our strategy is based on our ability to acquire agricultural properties at attractive prices, develop them into efficient and profitable operations and sell them at a profit in the medium and long term. These factors are essential for our prospects of success, but are subject to significant uncertainties, contingencies and risks within our economic, competitive, regulatory and operational environment, many of which are beyond our control. Our ability to execute our business strategy successfully is uncertain and may be adversely affected by any of the following factors, among others:

 

  failure to pursue our business strategy;

 

  failure or difficult to acquire and sell agricultural properties at attractive prices;

 

  changes in market conditions or failure to anticipate and adapt to new trends in Brazil’s rapidly evolving agricultural sector;

 

  inability to overcome certain limitations on the acquisition of land in Brazil by foreigners, as provided in the opinion of the Federal Attorney General, as further detailed in this annual report;

 

  failure to maintain the fiscal structure of our subsidiaries;

 

  inability to develop infrastructure and attract or retain personnel in a timely and effective manner;

 

 7 

 

 

  inability to identify service providers for our agricultural properties and projects;

 

  increased competition for suitable land from other agricultural real estate owners or developers, which increases our costs and adversely affects our profit margins;

 

  inability to develop and operate our agricultural properties profitably, which may result from inaccurate estimates regarding the cost of infrastructure, other investments or operating costs;

 

  failure, delays or difficulties in obtaining necessary environmental and regulatory permits;

 

  failure by purchasers of our properties to meet their payment obligations to us;

 

  increased operating costs, including the need for improvements to fixed assets, insurance premiums and property and utility taxes and fees that affect our profit margins;

 

  adverse climate conditions, such as global warming, which may contribute to the change of frequency of unpredictable or uncommon meteorological phenomena such as hurricanes and typhoons, as well as unpredictable and unusual patterns of rainfall, among others;

 

  unfavorable climate conditions in Brazil or Paraguay, particularly in the regions where we carry out our activities;

 

  the economic, political and business environment in Brazil or Paraguay, and specifically in the geographic regions where we invest and operate;

 

  inflation, fluctuating interest rates and exchange rates;

 

  disputes and litigation relating to our agricultural properties; and

 

  labor, environmental, civil and pension liabilities.

 

We may not be able to continue acquiring suitable agricultural properties on attractive terms.

 

In recent years, investments in Brazil’s agriculture sector have increased substantially. As a result, demand and valuations for the kind of properties we seek to acquire have escalated significantly. We believe that prices for such properties are likely to continue to increase in the medium and long-term, perhaps significantly as demand is expected to remain high. We compete with local and foreign investors, many of whom are larger and have greater financial resources than we do. Such investors may be able to incur operating losses for a sustained period, retain their real estate investments for a longer period than we can or accept lower returns on such investments. As a result, such investors may be willing to pay substantially higher prices for agricultural properties than we are able or willing to, depriving us of opportunities to acquire the best agricultural properties or increasing our acquisition costs. As a result of the foregoing, we cannot assure you that we will be able to locate and acquire suitable investments on reasonable terms or at all, and our inability to do so would have a material adverse effect on us.

 

The imposition of restrictions on acquisitions of agricultural properties by foreign nationals may materially restrict the development of our business.

 

In August 2010, the then-president of Brazil approved the opinion of the Federal Attorney General affirming the constitutionality of Brazilian Law No. 5,709/71, which imposes important limitations on the acquisition and lease of land in Brazil by foreigners and by Brazilian companies controlled by foreigners. Pursuant to this legislation, companies that are majority-owned by foreigners are not allowed to acquire agricultural properties in excess of 100 indefinite exploration modules, or MEI (which are measurement units adopted by the National Institute of Agrarian Development (Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária, or INCRA), within different Brazilian regions, and which range from five to 100 hectares) absent the prior approval of the Brazilian Congress, while the acquisition of areas measuring less than 100 MEIs by such companies requires the prior approval of INCRA. In addition, agricultural areas that are owned by foreigners or companies controlled by foreigners shall not exceed 25% of the surface area of the municipality, of which area up to 40% shall not belong to foreigners or companies controlled by foreigners of the same nationality, meaning that the sum of agricultural areas that belong to foreigners or companies controlled by foreigners of the same nationality shall not exceed 10% of the surface area of the relevant municipality. In addition, INCRA is also required to verify if the agricultural, cattle-raising, industrial or colonization projects to be developed in such areas were previously approved by the relevant authorities. After that analysis, INCRA will issue a certificate allowing the acquisition or rural lease of the property. The purchase and rural lease of agricultural properties that do not comply with the aforementioned requirements need to be authorized by the Brazilian Congress. In both cases, it is not possible to determine an estimated time frame for the approval procedure, since at the date of this annual report, there are no known cases on the grating of such certificates.

 

 8 

 

 

Recently, Brazilian Law No. 13,986, of April 7, 2020, amended Law No. 5,709/91 and provided that the limitations mentioned above do not apply (i) to the pledge of real estate as collateral (including the fiduciary transfer of real estate property); and (ii) to debt settlements arising from the execution of real estate collateral. Both exceptions favor Brazilian companies controlled by foreigners or foreign entities, which creates new business opportunities.

 

As of September 30, 2020, approximately 60.96% of our common shares were held by foreigners. Bearing that in mind, the implementation of Law No. 5,709/71 may impose on us additional procedures and approvals in connection with our future acquisitions of land, which may result in material delays and our inability to obtain required approvals. There is also a case pending on the Supreme Court (Supremo Tribunal Federal, or STF) on the Opinion No. 461/2012-E, issued by São Paulo’s General Controller of Justice (Corregedoria Geral de Justiça do Estado de São Paulo), which has established that entities providing notary and registrar services located in the State of São Paulo are exempt from observing certain restrictions and requirements imposed by Law No. 5,709/71 and Decree No. 74,965/74. Moreover, on April 16, 2015, the Brazilian Rural Society filed a claim for the acknowledgment of non-compliance with basic principles (ADPF) under certain provisions of the Brazilian Constitution with the Supreme Court in order to (i) rule that paragraph 1, article 1, of Law No. 5,709/71 was repealed by the 1988 Federal Constitution and (ii) reverse the opinion issued by the Federal Attorney General (AGU) of 2010. As of the date hereof, we are not able to provide an estimate of the timeframe for a final judgment to be issued by the STF in both cases.

 

Depending on the final decisions of these pending lawsuits, we may need to modify our business strategy and intended practices in order to be able to acquire agricultural properties. This might have the effect of increasing the number of transactions we must complete, which would increase our transaction costs. It might also require the execution of joint ventures or shareholder agreements, which increases the complexity and risks associated with such transactions.

 

Any regulatory limitations and restrictions could materially limit our ability to acquire agricultural properties, increase the investments, transaction costs or complexity of such transactions, or complicate the regulatory procedures required, any of which could materially and adversely affect us and our ability to successfully implement our business strategy. For more information, see “Item 4—Information on the Company—Business Overview—Ownership of Agricultural Land in Brazil by Foreigners.”

 

A substantial portion of our assets consist of agricultural properties that are illiquid.

 

Our business strategy is based on the appreciation of the capital invested in our agricultural properties and the liquidity of those investments. We cannot assure you that the value of our agricultural properties will increase in the short-, medium- or long-term, or at all, or that we will be able to monetize our agricultural investments successfully. Agricultural real estate assets are, as a general rule, illiquid and volatile, and agricultural properties in Brazil are especially illiquid and volatile. As a result, it may be difficult for us to promptly adjust our portfolio of properties in response to changes in economic or business conditions, and we may be unable to find purchasers willing to acquire our agricultural properties at prices that are favorable to us. Lack of liquidity and volatility in local market conditions would adversely affect our ability to carry out sales of properties on a timely and profitable basis, which could have a material adverse effect on us.

  

We may not be profitable, or our cash flow may not be positive for a number of years.

 

We expect to incur significant capital and operating expenses for several years on account of our continuing development activities. Due to the capital-intensive and long-term nature of our real estate development activities, many of our properties will not generate immediate cash flows or provide a short-term return on investment. Therefore, we may not achieve positive cash flows or profitability for a number of years, and, even if we do, we cannot assure you that such positive cash flows or profitability will be sustained in the future. Should we fail to achieve and sustain profitability, our business, financial condition and results of operations and the market value of our common shares would be adversely affected.

 

 9 

 

 

Fluctuation in market prices for our agricultural products could adversely affect us.

 

We are not able to obtain hedging protection or minimum price guarantees for the entirety of our production and therefore we are exposed to significant risks associated with the level and volatility of crop prices. The prices we are able to obtain for our agricultural products from time to time will depend on many factors beyond our control, including:

 

global commodity prices, which historically have been subject to significant fluctuations over relatively short periods of time, depending on worldwide food supply and demand as well as factors related to financial speculation;

 

disruptions in commodity markets caused by global events, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic;

  

  weather conditions, or natural disasters in areas where agricultural products are cultivated;

 

  worldwide inventory levels (i.e., supply or stock of commodities carried over from year to year);

 

  the business strategies adopted by other major companies operating in the agricultural and agribusiness sectors;

 

  changes in agriculture subsidies with regard to certain important producers (mainly in the United States and the European Economic Community), trade barriers with regard to certain important consumer markets and the adoption of other government policies affecting market conditions and prices;

 

  available transportation methods and infrastructure development in the regions where we operate or in remote areas serving local markets and which affect the local prices of our crops; and

 

  cost of raw materials; and supply of and demand for competing commodities and substitutes.

 

Given the uncertainty around the extent and timing of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are unable to predict or anticipate its final effects on our business and results of operations. See “—We may be exposed to risks related to health epidemics and pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.”

 

In addition, we believe there is a close relationship between the value of our agricultural properties and market prices of the commodities we produce, which are affected by global economic and other conditions. A decline in the prices of grains, sugar or related by-products below their current levels for a sustained period of time would significantly reduce the value of our land holdings and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Ethanol prices are correlated with the price of sugar and are also closely correlated with the price of oil, so that a decline in the price of sugar or a decline in the price of oil may adversely affect our sugarcane business.

 

A vast majority of ethanol in Brazil is produced at sugarcane mills that produce both ethanol and sugar. Because sugarcane millers are able to alter their product mix in response to the relative prices of ethanol and sugar, the prices of both products are directly correlated, and the correlation between ethanol and sugar may increase over time. Sugar prices in Brazil are determined by prices in the world market, resulting in a correlation between Brazilian ethanol prices and world sugar prices.

 

In addition, gasoline prices in Brazil are controlled by the Brazilian government. Because flex-fuel vehicles, which have become popular in Brazil, allow consumers to choose between gasoline and ethanol at the pump, ethanol prices are correlated to gasoline prices and, consequently, oil prices.

 

Oil prices varied sharply in 2020, with a record demand shock along with excess supply created by internal dispute among OPEC members. In March 2020, a dispute between Saudi Arabia and Russia sparked oil price volatility. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented changes in demand for oil.

 

A decline in sugar prices could have an adverse effect on the financial performance of our sugarcane businesses.

 

Substantially all of our revenue is derived from a small number of customers, and we currently face a risk of default by our main customer.

 

We currently sell a substantial portion of our total crop production to a small number of customers who have considerable bargaining power. For instance, in the year ended June 30, 2020, four of our customers were responsible for 72.8% of our revenue, and each of these four customers was responsible for at least 10% of our revenue. Of these four customers, two were responsible for 100% of our revenue in the sugarcane segment, and two were responsible for 61.2% of our revenue in the grains segment. Comparatively, in the year ended June 30, 2019, four of our customers were responsible for 85% of our revenue, and each of these four customers was responsible for at least 10% of our revenue. Of these four customers, two were responsible for 100% of our revenue in the sugarcane segment, and two were responsible for 71% of our revenue in the grains segment. See Note 20 to our financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report.

 

 10 

 

 

Furthermore, we entered into a supply contract and a rural partnership agreement with Brenco – Companhia Brasileira de Energia Renovável – Em Recuperação Judicial (“Brenco”), which is controlled by Odebrecht S.A., pursuant to which we currently supply them with 100% of our sugarcane production from Alto Taquari, Araucária and Partnership III farms. The term of this supply contract covers two full crop cycles, which consists of six crop years and five harvests, and therefore is scheduled to expire in crop year 2021/2022. The term of this rural partnership agreement covers a total area of 5,782 hectares, which we will explore and operate until March 31, 2026.

 

In addition, we entered into a supply contract and a rural partnership agreement with Agro Pecuária e Industrial Serra Grande Ltda. (“Agro Serra”), pursuant to which we currently supply them with 100% of our sugarcane production from São José farm. The term of this supply contract covers at least 15 crop years, and therefore is scheduled to expire no earlier than in crop year 2032/2033, and encompasses a total area of 14,900 hectares, which we will explore and operate.

 

In addition, the strong competition between a relatively fragmented sector of agricultural producers in the internal and external markets further increases the bargaining power of our highly concentrated customer base. Thus, we may not be able to maintain or form new relationships with customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Concentration among our customer base also increases the adverse consequences to us should we lose any of our customers or if any of our customers defaults on their obligations to us, either in the form of non-payment or through a breach of any contractual provision or obligation, such as shipping failure or delays. Delays in the shipment of our products could directly affect the planning of our harvest, which could generate losses and result in additional costs to us.

 

In the year ended June 30, 2020 and as of the date hereof, Brenco has not defaulted on the payment of any receivable. However, we currently run the risk of default by Brenco, our main customer, due to the fact that its controlling shareholder, Odebrecht S.A., is being investigated for corruption in the operation called “Lava Jato” (Car Wash) and the fact that Brenco filed for reorganization bankruptcy in Brazil (recuperação judicial) in May 2019. Odebrecht’s former CEO has been arrested and the company has been facing the following issues: difficulties to access the credit market, decrease in its business activities, acceleration of debts, among others. Please see “Item 4—Information on the Company—Business Overview—Agricultural Activities and Products—Sugarcane” for a table presenting the aging of receivables from Brenco. Brenco’s controlling shareholder has been cutting costs, which can adversely affect Brenco, its business and its ability to meet its payments due to us. In addition, in May 2019, Brenco filed for reorganization bankruptcy in Brazil (recuperação judicial). As of the date hereof, we are unable to determine the impact, if any, that the reorganization bankruptcy of Brenco in Brazil may have on the payment of receivables due to us or on the general risk of default by Brenco on its obligations. As of June 30, 2020 and as of the date of this annual report, receivables from Brenco amounted to R$12.0 million and R$10.7 million, respectively.

 

We are dependent on third-party service providers and subject to recent changes in the Brazilian labor legal framework.

 

In addition to our own personnel, we are highly dependent on third-party contractors to develop and cultivate our agricultural properties, and to provide the machinery and equipment needed for such purposes. As a result, our future success depends on the skill, experience, knowledge and efforts of our third-party service providers. We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to hire the desired third-party service providers for our agricultural properties or that such providers will have the ability to ensure quality agricultural production in an efficient manner, and at competitive prices. Our failure to hire the desired service providers for our agricultural properties, or their failure to provide quality services, or the revocation or termination or our failure to renew our service contracts or negotiate new contracts with other service providers at comparable prices and terms would adversely affect us.

 

Our dependence on third-party contractors also subjects us to the risk of labor claims alleging that an employment relationship exists between us and our contractors’ personnel, and that, as a result, we are secondarily liable for our contractors’ labor and social security payment obligations, lease payments or other obligations.

 

Moreover, pursuant to Brazilian environmental law, we are jointly and severally liable, together with our contractors, for all environmental damage caused by our third-party contractors, irrespective of our fault. Such obligations or our costs for defending against any such claims may be significant and could have a material adverse effect on us if we were held liable.

 

Changes in government policies involving biofuels may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Government policies for encouraging biofuels as a response to environmental concerns have had, and are likely to continue to have, an impact on commodities prices. The nature and scope of future legislation and regulations affecting our markets are unpredictable, and we cannot assure you that current concessions, prices or market protections involving biofuels will be maintained in their current form for any period of time. Any change in the support afforded to biofuels by the United States government or any other government may result in stagnation or decline in the market prices of certain agricultural commodities and consequently the price of our agricultural properties, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

 11 

 

 

We are subject to extensive environmental regulation.

 

Our business activities in Brazil are subject to extensive federal, state and municipal laws and regulations concerning environmental protection, which impose on us various environmental obligations, such as environmental licensing requirements, minimum standards for the release of effluents, use of agrochemicals, management of solid waste, protection of certain areas (legal reserve and permanent preservation areas), and the need for a special authorization to use water, among others. The failure to comply with such laws and regulations may subject the violator to administrative fines, mandatory interruption of activities and criminal sanctions, in addition to the obligation to rectify damages and pay environmental and third-party damage compensation, without any caps. In addition, Brazilian environmental law adopts a joint and several and strict liability system for environmental damages, which makes the polluter liable even in cases where it is not negligent and would render us jointly and severally liable for the obligations of our contractors or off-takers. If we become subject to environmental liabilities, any costs we may incur to rectify possible environmental damage would lead to a reduction in our financial resources, which would otherwise remain at our disposal for current or future strategic investment, thus causing an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

As environmental laws and their enforcement become increasingly stricter, our expenses for complying with environmental requirements are likely to increase in the future. Furthermore, the possible implementation of new regulations, changes in existing regulations or the adoption of other measures could cause the amount and frequency of our expenditures on environmental preservation to vary significantly compared to present estimates or historical costs. Any unplanned future expenses could force us to reduce or forego strategic investments and as a result could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

If we fail to innovate and utilize modern agricultural technologies and techniques to enhance production and yields of our acquired agricultural properties, we may be adversely affected.

 

Our business model is focused on our acquiring underdeveloped or underutilized agricultural properties and improving them by applying evolving agricultural technologies and techniques. Therefore, our strategy depends to a large extent on our ability to obtain and apply modern agricultural techniques and technologies to enhance the value of the properties we acquire. If we are unable to apply in a timely manner the most advanced technologies and farming techniques required to add value to our agricultural properties and make our products competitive and attractive to local and international investors, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

 

We may experience difficulties implementing our investment projects, which may affect our growth prospects.

 

Part of our strategy with regard to our agricultural properties consists of investing in support infrastructure in order to increase the value of such agricultural properties. In implementing our investment projects, we may face a number of challenges, including: (i) failures or delays in acquiring necessary equipment or services; (ii) higher costs than those originally estimated; (iii) difficulties securing the necessary environmental and government licenses; (iv) changes in market conditions, which could render the projects less profitable than originally estimated; (v) impossibility or delays in acquiring land at attractive prices, or an increase in the land prices on account of growing demand for land by our competitors; (vi) impossibility of, and delay in identifying and acquiring land that is in compliance with Brazilian real estate property laws; (vii) lack of capacity to develop infrastructure and attract qualified labor on a timely and efficient basis; (viii) disputes and litigation relating to the land we acquire; (ix) cultural challenges deriving from the integration of new management and employees in our organization; and (x) the need to update accounting systems, administrative data and human resources. Our inability to manage these risks would adversely affect us.

  

Property values in Brazil could decline significantly.

 

Real estate property values in Brazil are influenced by a wide variety of factors beyond our control, and therefore we cannot assure you that property values will continue to increase or that property values will not decline. A significant decline in property values in Brazil could adversely affect the value of our property holdings.

 

Our growth depends on our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel.

 

We are highly dependent on the services of our technical and administrative staff. If we lose any of our senior management, or require additional management personnel, we will have to attract similarly qualified administrative and technical personnel. There is significant demand for high-level, technical personnel with the skills and know-how required to operate our business, and we compete for this talent in the global market. The availability of attractive opportunities in Brazil and other countries may adversely affect our ability to hire or retain highly-qualified personnel. If we fail to attract and retain the professionals we need to expand and manage our operations, our business may be materially and adversely affected.

 

 12 

 

  

Adverse weather conditions may have an adverse impact on our agricultural properties and products and, to a lesser extent, our cattle production.

 

The occurrence of severe weather conditions, including droughts, floods, heavy rainfall, hail, frost or extremely high temperatures is unpredictable and has had and could have in the future a potentially devastating impact on our agricultural properties or production and, to a lesser extent, our cattle production. Adverse weather conditions may be exacerbated by the effects of climate change. In recent years, different regions in Brazil have been affected by extreme weather conditions, and the regions where our properties are located have also experienced high temperatures and severe drought in recent years. The effect of severe weather conditions may materially reduce the productivity of our farms, impairing our revenue and cash flow, and requiring higher levels of investment or significant increases in our operating costs, any of which could have a material and adverse impact on us.

 

Diseases may affect our crops and cattle, potentially destroying all or part of our production.

 

The occurrence and effect of diseases can be unpredictable and devastating on crops, potentially rendering useless all or a significant portion of the affected crops. The cost of preventing and treating crop disease tends to be high. For example, diseases, such as Asian soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) and pests, like corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea) and cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), can spread and may result in lower crop yields and higher operating costs. Currently, Asian soybean rust, corn earworm and cotton bollworm can only be controlled, not eliminated.

 

Diseases affecting our cattle herds, such as tuberculosis, brucellosis and foot-and-mouth disease, can render cows unable to produce meat for human consumption. Outbreaks of cattle diseases may also result in the closure of certain important markets for our cattle products, such as the United States. Although we abide by national veterinary health guidelines, which include laboratory analyses and vaccination, to control diseases among the herds, especially foot-and-mouth disease, we cannot assure that future outbreaks of cattle diseases will not occur. A future outbreak of diseases among our cattle herds may adversely affect our cattle sales which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operation.

 

The origination and spread of diseases may occur for many reasons beyond our control, including the failure of other producers to comply with applicable health and environmental regulations. The appearance of new diseases or the mutation or proliferation of existing diseases could damage or completely destroy our crops and cattle herds, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Fires and other accidents may affect our agricultural properties and adversely affect us.

 

Our operations are subject to various risks affecting our agricultural properties and agricultural installations, including destruction of farms and crops by fire and other natural disasters or events, and theft or other unexpected loss of grains or fertilizers and supplies. We could be materially and adversely affected if any of these risks were to occur.

 

Widespread uncertainties and fraud involving ownership of real estate in Brazil may adversely affect us.

 

Under Brazilian law, ownership of real estate is conveyed only upon proper registration and filing of the relevant public deeds with the Real Estate Registry Office with jurisdiction where the property is located. In certain locations in Brazil, it is frequent to come across real estate registry errors, including duplicate or fraudulent certificates of enrollment and legal challenges. Lawsuits concerning the lawful title of real estate are prevalent in Brazil and, as a result, there is a risk that such errors, fraud or challenges adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, thereby causing the loss of all or substantially all of our agricultural properties.

 

We depend on international trade and economic and other conditions in our key export markets.

 

Brazil’s current agricultural production capacity is greater than the demands of its domestic agricultural market. Agriculture exports account for an increasingly significant portion of our revenue, especially as our rehabilitated farm properties gain crop production capabilities and increased yield. Therefore, our results of operations increasingly depend on political, economic and regulatory conditions in our principal export markets. The ability of our products to effectively compete in these export markets may be adversely affected by a number of factors beyond our control, including the deterioration of macroeconomic conditions, the volatility of exchange rates, the imposition of tariffs or other trade barriers or other factors in those markets such as regulations relating to the chemical content of agricultural products and safety and health regulations.

 

 13 

 

 

Due to the growing market share of Brazilian agricultural and beef products in the international markets, Brazilian exporters are increasingly being affected by tariffs and other barriers imposed by importing countries, in order to, among other things, protect local producers by limiting access of Brazilian companies to their markets. For example, the European Union imposes protective tariffs designed to mitigate the effects of Brazil’s lower production costs on local European producers. Developed countries also use direct and indirect subsidies to enhance the competitiveness of their producers in other markets.

 

Additionally, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, governments and other authorities have established certain restrictions on the freedom of movement of individuals and business operations, including travel bans, which led to supply chain disruptions and border closures. Other measures, such as the restriction on imports or closures of ports, airports or any ports of entry, or border closures may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. See “—We may be exposed to risks related to health epidemics and pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.”

 

The adoption of measures by a given country or region, such as restrictions, import quotas or suspension of imports could substantially affect the export volume of agricultural products and, consequently, our results of operations.

 

In July 2018, the U.S. and China began imposing tariffs on approximately $34 billion of each other’s exports. Subsequently, the U.S. imposed tariffs on an additional $216 billion in Chinese goods, and China imposed tariffs on an additional $76 billion worth of U.S goods. Negotiations to resolve the trade dispute are currently ongoing. Continued global trade tensions may lead to the imposition of further tariffs or other future geopolitical economic developments. Future actions of the U.S. administration or other countries, including China, with respect to tariffs or international trade agreements and policies remain currently unclear. We are unable at this time to predict the outcome of the trade tensions between the United States and China. The escalation of such trade tensions between the United States and China, and the imposition of tariffs, retaliatory tariffs or other trade restrictions may result in a rebalancing of global export flows in our key export markets and an increase in global competition, which in turn could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

If the competitiveness of our products in one or more of our significant markets were to be affected by any one of these events, we may not be able to reallocate our products to other markets on comparable terms, which could therefore adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

A worldwide economic downturn could weaken demand for our products and lead to lower prices.

 

Demand for our products may be affected by international, national and local economic conditions that are beyond our control. Adverse changes in the perceived or actual economic conditions, such as higher fuel prices, higher interest rates, stock and real estate market declines and associated volatility, more restrictive credit markets, higher taxes, and changes in governmental policies could reduce the level of demand for, or the prices of, our products. We cannot predict the duration or magnitude of a downturn or the timing or strength of economic recovery following the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. If a downturn were to continue for an extended period of time or worsen, we could experience a prolonged period of decreased demand and prices. In addition, economic downturns may adversely impact our suppliers, which can result in disruptions to our operations and financial losses. Moreover, the deterioration of global economic conditions, particularly in relevant economies, such as the United States, China and Europe, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, may ultimately decrease the demand for our products and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. See “—We may be exposed to risks related to health epidemics and pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.”

 

Fluctuations in the value of the Brazilian real in relation to the U.S. dollar could adversely affect us.

 

Foreign exchange fluctuations, particularly of the Brazilian real against the U.S. dollar, may significantly affect our results of operations given that: (1) our products and the basic supplies used in our production are traded internationally; (2) soybean prices are defined based on prices prevalent on the Chicago Board of Trade, or CBOT; and (3) most markets are served by several suppliers from different countries, and competitiveness of farm products abroad may increase in relation to ours in light of the appreciation of the Brazilian currency in relation to the U.S. dollar. Fluctuations in the value of the real in relation to the U.S. dollar could impact our export revenue, our sales in U.S. dollars in the Brazilian market and our financial expenses and operating costs, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

   

The real has suffered frequent depreciations and appreciations in relation to the U.S. dollar and other foreign currencies during the past decade. The Brazilian government has in the past utilized different exchange rate regimes, including sudden devaluations, periodic mini devaluations (during which the frequency of adjustments has ranged from daily to monthly), exchange controls, dual exchange rate markets and a floating exchange rate system. Since 1999, Brazil has adopted a floating exchange rate system with interventions by the Central Bank in buying or selling foreign currency. From time to time, there have been significant fluctuations in the exchange rate between the Brazilian real and the U.S. dollar and other currencies. The devaluations in more recent periods resulted in significant fluctuations in the exchange rates of the real against the U.S. dollar and other currencies.

 

 14 

 

 

In 2017, the real depreciated by 1.5% against the U.S. dollar, and the real/U.S. dollar exchange rate was R$3.3080 on December 31, 2017. In 2018, the real depreciated by 17.1% against the U.S. dollar, and on December 31, 2018, the real/U.S. dollar exchange rate was R$3.8748. In 2019, the real depreciated by 0.6% against the U.S. dollar, and on December 31, 2019, the real/U.S. dollar exchange rate was R$4.0307. On September 30, 2020, the real/U.S. dollar exchange rate was R$5.6407 per US$1.00. There can be no assurance that the real will not depreciate or appreciate against the U.S. dollar in the future.

 

We also hold derivative financial instruments to hedge risks relating to revenue from exports and operating costs denominated in foreign currencies. If we fail to manage these instruments properly, we may be adversely affected by our exposure to these risks, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our business is seasonal, and our revenue may fluctuate significantly depending on the growing cycle of our crops.

 

Agribusiness operations are predominantly seasonal in nature. In Brazil, the harvest of soybean and corn generally occurs from February to June. The annual sugarcane harvest period in Brazil normally begins in April and ends in November of each year. Therefore, our results of operations are likely to continue to significantly fluctuate between the planting and harvest periods of each crop, which cause fluctuations in our cash flows as a result of disparities between our revenue stream and our fixed expenses. In addition, seasonality creates limited windows of opportunity for our producers to complete required tasks at each stage of crop cultivation. Should events such as adverse weather conditions (including deluges of rain as has recently been the case throughout Brazil) or transportation interruptions occur during these seasonal windows, we may face reduced revenue without an opportunity to recover until the following crop’s planting. Finally, because of the effects of seasonality, our quarterly results may not be indicative of our annual results.

 

Our growth plan will require additional capital, which may not be available on terms and conditions acceptable to us, or at all.

 

Our operations require a significant amount of capital. We may need to seek additional capital by issuing shares or debt instruments, or by incurring indebtedness. Our ability to raise capital will depend on our future profitability, which is currently uncertain, and on political and economic conditions in Brazil and the international agricultural and real estate markets. Depending on these and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, additional capital may not be available at all or on conditions that are favorable or acceptable to us. If we are required to finance our activities through indebtedness, it is likely that the terms of that debt will impose upon us obligations or covenants, financial or otherwise, that could restrict our operational flexibility. Should we fail to raise additional capital under conditions that are acceptable to us, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

We plan to continue to use financial derivative instruments, which may result in substantial losses.

 

We plan to continue to use derivative financial instruments, mainly commodity hedge derivatives, foreign exchange derivatives and exchange rate swaps. If we enter into such hedging agreements and future prices of the underlying commodities differ from our expectations, we may incur substantial losses which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Furthermore, our hedging strategies may not properly take account of the effects of foreign exchange or commodity variations on our financial position. On entering into forward exchange and commodity agreements, we will be subject to the risk that our counterparties could fail to meet the conditions of such agreements. We may not be able to receive compensation for losses and damages from any defaulting counterparty through legal remedies, on account of laws protecting against bankruptcy or other similar protections for insolvent debtors, foreign laws restricting cross-border legal remedies, or for other reasons, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

  

We may not be successful in our future partnerships and strategic relationships.

 

We have entered into strategic partnerships and alliances in order to benefit from certain business opportunities. We cannot predict if such strategic partnerships and alliances will be successful or if more partnerships and alliances will take place. Our ability to successfully expand our business by means of strategic partnerships and alliances depends on various factors, including our ability to negotiate favorable conditions for such partnerships and alliances, in addition to factors beyond our control, such as our partners’ compliance with obligations arising from the partnership. Furthermore, our expectations regarding the benefits of these partnerships may not materialize. If we are unable to develop successful strategic partnerships and alliances, we could also be adversely affected.

 

 15 

 

 

Cresud, our controlling shareholder, and certain members of our board of directors may have interests that differ from those of our other shareholders.

 

As of September 30, 2020, Cresud held 32.06% of our common shares. Cresud has other numerous investments and may have other priorities that may conflict with those of our other shareholders, and as a result thereof, significant conflicts of interest may arise between Cresud and our other shareholders. In addition, five of our nine directors have been nominated by Cresud and certain members of our management, including our Chief Administrative Officer and Investor Relation Officer, were previously employed by Cresud. This situation may give rise to actual or apparent conflicts of interest as such directors and officers may have fiduciary duties or other interests owed to both us and Cresud or any of its affiliates. It may also limit the ability of such directors and officers to participate in certain matters.

 

In addition, as a result of Cresud’s ownership interest in us, conflicts of interest could arise with respect to transactions involving our ongoing business activities, and the resolution of these conflicts may not be favorable to us. Specifically, business opportunities, including but not limited to potential targets for rural property acquisitions, may be attractive to both Cresud and us. We may not be able to resolve any potential conflicts and, even if we do so, the resolution may be less favorable to us than if we were dealing with an unaffiliated party.

  

Increases in the price of raw materials and oil may adversely affect us.

 

Our agricultural properties are located in Brazil’s savannah region, a location where the soil is mostly acidic and not very fertile, requiring the use of lime and fertilizers. Our operations require other raw materials such as pesticides and seeds which we acquire from local and international suppliers. We do not have long-term supply contracts for these raw materials and therefore are exposed to the risk of cost increases. A significant increase in the price of lime, fertilizers or other raw materials we use would likely reduce our profitability or otherwise adversely affect our business operations as these are not costs that can readily be passed on to our customers. In addition, certain of our production costs, including fertilizers and the cost of leasing agricultural machinery, are linked to the international price of oil and its derivatives. Therefore, if the price of oil increases significantly, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

Delays or failures in the delivery of raw materials used by us and our suppliers could have an adverse effect on us.

 

We depend on suppliers to provide us with fertilizers, seeds, other raw materials and machinery services. Possible delays in the delivery of such items may delay our planting efforts until we are able to establish agreements with other suppliers, or may delay our harvest in case of delay in delivery of machinery. Accordingly, any delays, failures or defects in the delivery of raw materials or inputs or with regard to the provision of services to us by our suppliers could adversely affect our business and results of operations. See “—Lack of transportation, storage and processing infrastructure in Brazil represents an important challenge for the Brazilian agricultural and agricultural real estate sectors.”

 

Certain of our agricultural products contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and risks associated with GMOs remain uncertain.

 

The totality of our products, including soybean and corn, contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs in varying proportions depending on the crop year. Production and consumption of GMOs remain controversial, and adverse publicity and consumer resistance have led to the adoption of certain governmental regulations limiting sales of GMO products in important markets including the European Union. If GMOs were determined to present risks to human health or to the environment, demand for our GMO products could collapse, and we could face potentially significant liability for harm caused by such products, all of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In 2018, a Brazilian trial court ruled that new products containing “glyphosate” – a herbicide widely used in soybeans and others crops – were prohibited from being registered in Brazil, and existing registrations would be suspended until the government reevaluates their toxicity. This decision also suspended the registration of others chemicals, such as the insecticide abamectin and the fungicide thiram. According to the Brazilian Agriculture Minister, this decision would be a disaster for the agricultural industry and, for this reason, the decision was subject to multiple appeals. On September 3, 2018, a court of appeals reversed the trial court’s decision. Currently, the use of glyphosate is permitted. However, we are unable to guarantee that it will continue to be allowed.

 

The prohibition of the use of glyphosate to control weed infestation could compromise no-till farming, which is important for productivity and sustainability, and lead to increased use of other products for pest control. Currently, there is no alternative in Brazil to replace glyphosate. Similar products have a high cost and are not readily available to meet the demand for glyphosate. As a result, our production costs could increase, and our productivity could be significantly impacted, which could result in lower production margins.

 

 16 

 

 

Lack of transportation, storage and processing infrastructure in Brazil represents an important challenge for the Brazilian agricultural and agricultural real estate sectors.

 

We depend on efficient access to transportation and port infrastructure for the growth of Brazilian agriculture and our operations. We may decide to acquire agricultural properties in areas where existing transportation infrastructure is inadequate and where improvements may be required to make our agricultural production more accessible to export centers at competitive prices. A substantial portion of Brazilian agricultural production is currently transported by trucks, which is significantly more expensive than transportation by rail cars. Given that our dependence on road transportation prevents us from being considered a low-cost producer, our ability to compete on the world market may be impaired, especially as the price of fuel increases. As a result, we may not be able to secure efficient transportation for our production to reach major markets in a cost-efficient manner or at all, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In addition, as recently as May 2018, Brazil faced a widespread truck drivers’ strike, which caused a nationwide transportation paralysis, highway blockades, cargo delays, shortages of food, supplies and fuel in Brazil. If a widespread strike or similar disruptive event happens again, it could adversely affect the logistics sector as whole and our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Disruptions may also be caused by the spread of infectious disease, such as COVID-19, or by a deterioration in labor or union relations, disputes or work stoppages or other labor-related developments affecting us and our suppliers and distributors. See “—We may be exposed to risks related to health epidemics and pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.”

 

Competition in the markets for our products may affect us.

 

We face significant domestic and international competition in each of our markets and in many of our production lines. The global market for agricultural products is highly competitive and sensitive to changes in industrial capacity, product inventories and cyclical changes in the world economy, any one or more of which may affect to a significant degree the selling price of our products and therefore our profitability. Since many of our products are agricultural commodities, such products compete in international markets almost exclusively based on price. Many other producers of such commodities are larger than us and have more significant financial and other resources. Furthermore, many other producers receive subsidies in their respective countries that generally are not available in Brazil. Such subsidies may afford producers lower production costs or enable them to operate in an environment with sharp price reductions, constrained margins and operating losses for longer periods. Any increased competitive pressure with respect to our products could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Social movements may affect the use of our agricultural properties or cause damage to them.

 

Social movements such as the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra) and the Pastoral Land Commission (Comissão Pastoral da Terra) are active in Brazil and advocate land reform and property redistribution by the Brazilian government.

 

Invasion and occupation of agricultural land by large numbers of people is a common practice among the members of such movements and, in certain regions, including those where we currently invest, remedies such as police protection or eviction procedures are inadequate or non-existent. As a result, we cannot assure you that our agricultural properties will not be subject to invasion or occupation by any social movement. Any invasion or occupation may materially impair the use of our lands and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We made investments in farmland in Paraguay, and we may possibly make investments in other countries in and outside Latin America, in which case we would be subject to the associated economic, legal, political and regulatory risks.

 

Currently, we conduct our activities in Brazil and Paraguay. We are considering expanding into other countries in and outside Latin America, but currently have no definitive commitments or specific plans with respect thereto. In the future, we may expand our activities into other countries in Latin America or elsewhere if we decide that international expansion would be appropriate to achieve our objectives. The success in other countries of our business strategy and business model that we apply in Brazil would be subject to a high level of uncertainty and depend on numerous factors beyond our control. Therefore, we cannot assure you that any such expansion would be profitable or enable us to obtain the expected returns on our investments, or even recover our investments. Any international expansion of our activities would be subject to political, economic and regulatory risks in the relevant country and to risks inherent to the management of a transnational company, including:

 

  challenges posed by distance, language, local business practices and cultural differences (i.e. lack of financing; longer payment cycles in the relevant country; difficulties in forming partnerships or strategic alliances with local parties; conflicting or redundant practices in respect to tax, regulatory, legal and administrative aspects);

 

  negative effects of currency fluctuations or the imposition of exchange controls or restrictions on repatriation of capital;

 

 17 

 

 

  adverse changes in laws and local policies, particularly those relating to import tariffs, labor practices, environment, investment, acquisition of agricultural property by foreign companies or companies controlled by foreigners;

 

  difficulty of enforcement of contracts and collection or enforcement of debts, or difficulties or restrictions imposed by local courts;

 

  expropriation and imposition of legal or administrative limitations to the exercise of property rights as a result of changes in laws or applicable regulations;

 

  difficulty in obtaining licenses, permits or other approvals from local government authorities;

 

  political disputes, social unrest and deteriorating local economic conditions;

 

  transnational conflicts or disputes involving Brazil and the relevant country; and

 

  terrorism or military conflicts; and natural disasters, epidemics, riots and insurrections.

  

Our inability to recognize and respond to these differences, challenges and risks could adversely affect any operations we may undertake in markets outside of Brazil, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Unauthorized disclosure, or loss of intellectual property or other sensitive business or personal information, or disruption in information technology by cyber-attacks, as well as our failure to comply with existing and future laws and regulations relating to data privacy and data security can subject us to penalties or liability and can adversely impact our operations, reputation and financial results.

 

We collect, store, process and use certain confidential information and other user data in connection with our business operations. We must ensure that any processing, collection, use, storage, dissemination, transfer and disposal of data for which we are responsible complies with relevant data protection and privacy laws. We rely on commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring to provide secure processing, transmission and storage of confidential information, such as customer, employee, company and other personal information.

 

Data protection and privacy laws are developing to take into account the changes in cultural and consumer attitudes towards the protection of personal data. For example, on August 14, 2018, Brazil enacted Law No. 13,709/2018 (Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados, or the LGPD), a comprehensive data protection law establishing general principles and obligations that apply across multiple economic sectors and contractual relationships. The LGPD establishes detailed rules for the collection, use, processing and storage of personal data and will affect all economic sectors, including the relationship between customers and suppliers of goods and services, employers and employees, and other relationships in which personal data is collected, whether in a digital or physical manner. The LGPD entered into force on September 18, 2020, but the imposition of penalties pursuant to it remains suspended until August 2021.

 

As we seek to expand our business and operations, we expect that we will be increasingly subject to laws and regulations relating to the collection, use, retention, security, and transfer of information, including the personally identifiable information of our employees and customers. These laws and regulations may be interpreted and applied differently over time and from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and it is possible that they will be interpreted and applied in ways that will materially and adversely affect our business. If there are breaches of the LGPD obligations, or of other data privacy laws and regulations, as the case may be, we could face significant administrative and monetary sanctions as well as reputational damage, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial condition and prospects.

 

In addition, despite the security measures that we have in place, our facilities and systems, and those of our third-party service providers, may be vulnerable to security breaches, cyber-attacks, acts of vandalism, computer viruses, misplaced or lost data, programming or human errors, or other similar events.

 

See also “—We were the target of a cybersecurity incident that disrupted our systems”.

 

 18 

 

 

We were the target of a cybersecurity incident that disrupted our systems.

 

In October 2019, we experienced a cybersecurity incident, in which certain of our network and computer systems and data became temporarily unavailable. We have no reason to believe that such incident resulted in the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. Any security incident, or any perceived failure involving the misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, as well as any failure or perceived failure to comply with laws, policies, legal obligations or industry standards regarding data privacy and protection, whether by us or our service providers, could damage our reputation, expose us to litigation risk and liability, subject us to negative publicity, disrupt our operations and harm our business. We cannot assure you that our security measures, or those put in place by our service providers, will be sufficient to prevent future security breaches or incidents, which may directly or indirectly affect us, or that our failure to prevent them will not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

  

Cyber-attacks or security breaches could compromise confidential, business and other critical information, cause a disruption in our operations or harm our reputation, as certain of our operations are dependent on information technology and telecommunication systems and services. Information assets, including intellectual property, personal data and other business-sensitive critical information are an attractive asset to cyber criminals, cyberterrorism or other external agents. A significant cyber-attack, a human error, including from our employees and partners, or obsolescence of technology could result in the loss of critical business information and adversely affect our operations and results of operations.

 

We continuously monitor and develop our information technology networks and infrastructure. We also conduct annual tests to prevent, detect, address and mitigate the risk of unauthorized access, misuse, computer viruses and other events that could have a material impact on us. However, we cannot assure you that these measures will be effective in protecting us against future cyberattacks and other related breaches of our information technology systems.

 

Our risk and exposure to these matters cannot be fully mitigated because of, among other things, the evolving nature of these threats. As cyber threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend additional resources to continue to modify or enhance protective measures or to investigate and remediate any security vulnerabilities that are discovered in the future. In addition, cyber-attacks could result in important remediation costs, increased cyber security costs, lost revenues due to disruption of activities, litigation and reputational harm affecting customer and investor confidence, which ultimately could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Risks Relating to Brazil

 

The measures taken or to be implemented by the Brazilian government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic may have an adverse effect on our business and operations.

 

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. Brazilian federal, state and municipal governments and other authorities have adopted a number of measures to adress the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including:

 

to contain or delay the spread of COVID-19, the Brazilian Ministry of Health (Ministério da Saúde), as well as several state and municipal authorities have adopted or recommended social distancing measures;

 

in March 2020, the Brazilian federal government created a Crisis Committee to Monitor the Impacts of COVID-19 in Brazil. Since then, it has announced several measures to adress the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil

 

the Brazilian National Congress has held discussions regarding several measures to increase the Brazilian government’s revenues, such as imposing new taxes, revoking tax benefits and increasing the rates of current taxes; and

 

a revision of tax benefits and increase of the rates of current taxes;

 

It is also possible that our commercial agreements, including rural partnership agreements, could be affected by the adverse impacts derived from the COVID-19 pandemic, since the parties thereto may be unable to comply with their contractual obligations. The COVID-19 pandemic would most likely be considered as an act of God or force majeure event by Brazilian courts. If our agreements are litigated, parties thereto could try to justify nonperformance and request: (i) termination without penalties; (ii) adjustment or release from contractual obligations; (iii) adjustment or release from the effects of arrears; and (iv) adjustment or release from penalties for breach of contract, which, could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

 

In addition, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the possible outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic. We cannot predict what other measures will be implemented to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 and whether they will lead to restrictions or limitations that could affect our business operations. The deterioration of global economic conditions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic may decrease demand for our products and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The COVID-19 pandemic may also heighten several of the other risk factors described in this annual report.

 

 19 

 

 

The Brazilian government has exercised, and continues to exercise, significant influence over the Brazilian economy, which, together with Brazilian political and economic conditions, may adversely affect us.

 

We may be adversely affected by the following factors, as well as the Brazilian federal government’s response to these factors:

 

  economic and social instability;

 

  increase in interest rates;

 

  exchange controls and restrictions on remittances abroad;

 

  restrictions and taxes on agricultural exports;

 

  exchange rate fluctuations;

 

  inflation;

 

  volatility and liquidity in domestic capital and credit markets;

 

  expansion or contraction of the Brazilian economy, as measured by GDP growth rates;

 

  allegations of corruption against political parties, elected officials or other public officials, including allegations made in relation to the Lava Jato investigation;

 

 

government measures aimed at controlling the COVID-19 pandemic;

 

  government policies related to our sector; and

 

  fiscal or monetary policy and amendments to tax legislation; and other political, diplomatic, social or economic developments in or affecting Brazil.

 

Historically, the Brazilian government has frequently intervened in the Brazilian economy and has occasionally made significant changes in economic policies and regulations, including, among others, the enactment of new tax laws, changes in monetary, fiscal and tax policies, currency devaluations, capital controls and limits on imports.

 

The Brazilian economy has been experiencing a slowdown. The Brazilian GDP decreased 3.6% in 2016, increased 1.0% in 2017, increased 1.1% in 2018, increased 1.1% in 2019 and decreased 5.9% in the first six months of 2020.

 

Inflation, unemployment and interest rates have increased more recently, and the Brazilian real has weakened significantly in relation to the U.S. dollar. The market expectations for 2020 are that the Brazilian economy will experience a severe slowdown and Brazilian GDP will decrease, as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adverse economic conditions in Brazil may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

As a result of investigations carried out in connection with the Lava Jato (Car Wash) operation into corruption in Brazil, a number of senior politicians, including congressmen, and executive officers of certain of the major state-owned companies in Brazil have resigned or been arrested, while others are being investigated for allegations of unethical and illegal conduct. The matters that have come, and may continue to come, to light as a result of, or in connection with, the Lava Jato operation and other similar operations have adversely affected, and we expect that they will continue to adversely affect, the Brazilian economy, markets and trading prices of securities issued by Brazilian issuers in the near future.

 

The ultimate outcome of these investigations is uncertain, but they have already had an adverse effect on the image and reputation of the implicated companies, and on the general market perception of the Brazilian economy, the political environment and the Brazilian capital markets. The development of these investigations has affected and may continue to adversely affect us. We cannot predict if these investigations will bring further political or economic instability to Brazil, or if new allegations will be raised against high-level members of the Brazilian federal government. In addition, we cannot predict the results of these investigations, nor their effects on the Brazilian economy.

 

 20 

 

 

The ongoing economic uncertainty and political instability in Brazil may adversely affect the Brazilian economy, our business, and the market price of our shares and ADSs.

 

Brazil’s political environment has historically influenced, and continues to influence, the performance of the country’s economy. Political crises have affected and continue to affect the confidence of investors and the general public, which have historically resulted in economic deceleration and heightened volatility in the securities issued by Brazilian companies.

 

In recent years, there has been significant political turmoil in connection with the impeachment of the former president (who was removed from office in August 2016) and ongoing investigations of her successor (who left office in January 2019) as part of the ongoing “Lava Jato” investigations. Presidential elections were held in Brazil in October 2018. We cannot predict which policies the new President of Brazil, who assumed office on January 1, 2019, may adopt or change during his mandate or the effect that any such policies might have on our business and on the Brazilian economy. Any such new policies or changes to current policies may have a material adverse effect on us. The political uncertainty resulting from the presidential elections and the transition to a new government may have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and the price of our shares and ADSs.

 

Furthermore, Brazil’s federal budget has been in deficit since 2014. Similarly, the governments of Brazil’s constituent states are also facing fiscal concerns due to their high debt burdens, declining revenues and inflexible expenditures. While the Brazilian Congress has approved a ceiling on government spending that will limit primary public expenditure growth to the prior year’s inflation for a period of at least 10 years, local and foreign investors believe that fiscal reforms, and in particular a reform of Brazil’s pension system, will be critical for Brazil to comply with the spending limit. As of the date of this annual report, discussions in the Brazilian Congress relating to such reforms remain ongoing. Diminished confidence in the Brazilian government’s budgetary condition and fiscal stance could result in downgrades of Brazil’s sovereign debt by credit rating agencies, negatively impact Brazil’s economy, lead to further depreciation of the real and an increase in inflation and interest rates, thus adversely affecting our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Uncertainty about the Brazilian government’s implementation of changes in policies or regulations that affect such implementation may contribute to economic instability in Brazil and increase the volatility of securities issued abroad by Brazilian companies, including our securities. Any of the above factors may create additional political uncertainty, adversely affect the Brazilian economy, our business, financial condition, results of operations and the market price of our shares and ADSs. 

 

Inflation, coupled with the Brazilian government’s measures to fight inflation, may hinder Brazilian economic growth and increase interest rates, which could have a material adverse effect on us.

 

Brazil has in the past experienced significantly high rates of inflation. As a result, the Brazilian government adopted monetary policies that resulted in Brazilian interest rates being among the highest in the world. The Central Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (Comitê de Política Monetária do Banco Central, or COPOM), establishes an official interest rate target for the Brazilian financial system based on the level of economic growth, inflation rate and other economic indicators in Brazil. Between 2004 and 2010, the official Brazilian interest rate varied from 19.75% to 8.75% per year. In response to an increase in inflation in 2010, the Brazilian government increased the official Brazilian interest rate, the SELIC rate, which was 10.75% per year as or December 31, 2010. The SELIC rate has increased and decreased since then and, as of June 30, 2019, it was 6.50% per year. The inflation rates, as measured by the General Market Price Index (Índice Geral de Preços–Mercado), or IGP-M, and calculated by Fundação Getúlio Vargas, or FGV, were 7.18% in 2016, (0.52)% in 2017, 7.54% in 2018 and 7.30% in 2019. Cumulative inflation in the first six months of 2020, calculated by the same index, was 4.39%.

 

Inflation and the government measures to fight inflation have had and may continue to have significant effects on the Brazilian economy and our business. In addition, the Brazilian government’s measures to control inflation have often included maintaining a tight monetary policy with high interest rates, thereby restricting the availability of credit and slowing economic growth. On the other hand, an easing of monetary policies of the Brazilian government may trigger increases in inflation. In the event of an increase in inflation, we may not be able to adjust our daily rates to offset the effects of inflation on our cost structure, which may materially and adversely affect us.

 

An increase in interest rates may have a significant adverse effect on us. In addition, as of June 30, 2020, certain of our loans were subject to interest rate fluctuations, such as the Brazilian long-term interest rate (Taxa de Juros de Longo Prazo, or TJLP), and the interbank deposit rate (Certificados de Depósitos Interbancários), or CDI. In the event of an abrupt increase in interest rates, our ability to comply with our financial obligations may be materially and adversely affected.

 

 21 

 

 

A deterioration in general economic and market conditions or the perception of risk in other countries, principally in emerging countries or the United States, may have a negative impact on the Brazilian economy and us.

 

Economic and market conditions in other countries, including United States and Latin American and other emerging market countries, may affect the Brazilian economy and the market for securities issued by Brazilian companies. Although economic conditions in these countries may differ significantly from those in Brazil, investors’ reactions to developments in these other countries may have an adverse effect on the market value of securities of Brazilian issuers. Crises in other emerging market countries could dampen investor enthusiasm for securities of Brazilian issuers, including ours, which could adversely affect the market price of our common shares. In the past, the adverse development of economic conditions in emerging markets resulted in a significant flow of funds out of the country and a decrease in the quantity of foreign capital invested in Brazil. Changes in the prices of securities of public companies, lack of available credit, reductions in spending, general slowdown of the global economy, exchange rate instability and inflationary pressure may adversely affect, directly or indirectly, the Brazilian economy and securities market. Global economic downturns and related instability in the international financial system have had, and may continue to have, a negative effect on economic growth in Brazil. Global economic downturns reduce the availability of liquidity and credit to fund the continuation and expansion of business operations worldwide.

 

In addition, the Brazilian economy is affected by international economic and market conditions generally, especially economic conditions in the United States. Share prices on B3 S.A. – Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão, or B3, for example, have historically been sensitive to fluctuations in U.S. interest rates and the behavior of the major U.S. stock indexes. An increase in interest rates in other countries, especially the United States, may reduce global liquidity and investors’ interest in the Brazilian capital markets, adversely affecting the price of our common shares.

 

Risks Relating to our American Depositary Shares and Common Shares

 

A holder of our American Depositary Shares may face disadvantages compared to a holder of our common shares when attempting to exercise voting rights.

 

Holders of our American Depositary Shares, or ADSs, may instruct the depositary to vote the common shares underlying the ADSs. For the depositary to follow the voting instructions, it must receive them on or before the date specified in our voting materials. The depositary must try, as far as practical, subject to Brazilian law and our articles of association, to vote the common shares as instructed. In most cases, if the ADS holder does not give instructions to the depositary, it may vote the common shares in favor of proposals supported by our board of directors, or, when practicable and permitted, give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us. We cannot be certain that ADS holders will receive voting materials in time to ensure that they can instruct the depositary to vote the underlying common shares. Also, the depositary is not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for the manner of carrying out voting instructions. This means that ADS holders may not be able to exercise their right to vote and there may be nothing they can do if their common shares or other deposited securities are not voted as requested.

  

Holders of our common shares or ADSs may not receive any dividends or interest on shareholders’ equity.

 

According to our bylaws, we must pay our shareholders at least 25% of our annual net income as dividends or interest on shareholders’ equity, as calculated and adjusted under Brazilian corporate law. This adjusted net income may be capitalized, used to absorb losses or otherwise retained as allowed under Brazilian corporate law and may not be available to be paid as dividends or interest on shareholders’ equity.

 

Additionally, Brazilian corporate law allows a publicly-traded company like ours to suspend the mandatory distribution of dividends in any particular year if our board of directors informs our shareholders that such distributions would be inadvisable in view of our financial condition or cash availability. Holders of our common shares or ADSs may not receive any dividends or interest on shareholders’ equity in any given year if our board of directors makes such a determination or if our operations fail to generate net income.

 

Holders of our common shares or ADSs in the United States may not be entitled to the same preemptive rights as Brazilian shareholders, pursuant to Brazilian law, in the subscription of shares resulting from capital increases made by us.

 

Under Brazilian law, if we issue new shares in exchange for cash or assets as part of a capital increase, subject to certain exceptions, we must grant our shareholders preemptive rights at the time of the subscription of shares, corresponding to their respective interest in our share capital, allowing them to maintain their existing shareholding percentage. We may not legally be permitted to allow holders of our common shares or ADSs in the United States to exercise any preemptive rights in any future capital increase unless (i) we file a registration statement for an offering of shares resulting from the capital increase with the SEC, or (ii) the offering of shares resulting from the capital increase qualifies for an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. At the time of any future capital increase, we will evaluate the costs and potential liabilities associated with filing a registration statement for an offering of shares with the SEC and any other factors that we consider important in determining whether to file such a registration statement. We cannot assure the holders of our common shares or ADSs in the United States that we will file a registration statement with the SEC to allow them to participate in any of our capital increases. As a result, the equity interest of such holders in our company may be diluted.

 

 22 

 

 

If holders of our ADSs exchange them for common shares, they may risk temporarily losing, or being limited in, the ability to remit foreign currency abroad and certain Brazilian tax advantages.

 

The Brazilian custodian for the common shares underlying our ADSs must obtain an electronic registration number with the Central Bank to allow the depositary to remit U.S. dollars abroad. ADS holders benefit from the electronic certificate of foreign capital registration from the Central Bank obtained by the custodian for the depositary, which permits it to convert dividends and other distributions with respect to the common shares into U.S. dollars and remit the proceeds of such conversion abroad. If holders of our ADSs decide to exchange them for the underlying common shares, they will only be entitled to rely on the custodian’s certificate of registration with the Central Bank for five business days after the date of the exchange. Thereafter, they will be unable to remit U.S. dollars abroad unless they obtain a new electronic certificate of foreign capital registration in connection with the common shares, which may result in expenses and may cause delays in receiving distributions. See “Item 10—Additional Information—Exchange Controls.”

 

Also, if holders of our ADSs that exchange them for our common shares do not qualify under the foreign investment regulations, they will generally be subject to less favorable tax treatment of dividends and distribution on, and the proceeds from any sale of, our common shares. See “Item 10—Additional Information—Exchange Controls” and “Item 10—Additional Information—Taxation—Brazilian Tax Considerations.”

 

Holders of our ADSs may face difficulties in protecting their interests because, as a Brazilian company, we are subject to different corporate rules and regulations and our shareholders may have fewer and less well-defined rights.

 

Holders of our ADSs are not direct shareholders of our company and are unable to enforce the rights of shareholders under our bylaws and Brazilian corporate law.

 

Our corporate affairs are governed by our bylaws and Brazilian corporate law, which differ from the requirements that would apply if we were incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States, such as the State of Delaware or New York, or elsewhere outside Brazil. Even if a holder of our ADSs surrenders its ADSs and becomes a direct shareholder, its rights as a holder of our common shares under Brazilian corporate law to protect its interests relative to actions by our board of directors may be fewer and less well-defined than under the laws of those other jurisdictions.

 

Holders of our ADSs may face difficulties in serving process on or enforcing judgments against us and other persons.

 

We are organized under the laws of Brazil, and certain of our executive officers and our independent registered public accountants reside or are based in Brazil. Most of our assets and those of these other persons are located in Brazil. As a result, it may not be possible for holders of our ADSs to effect service of process upon us or these other persons within the United States or other jurisdictions outside Brazil or to enforce against us or these other persons judgments obtained in the United States or other jurisdictions outside Brazil. In addition, because substantially all of our assets and all of our directors and officers reside outside the United States, any judgment obtained in the United States against us or any of our directors or officers may not be collectible within the United States. Because judgments of U.S. courts for civil liabilities based upon the U.S. federal securities laws may only be enforced in Brazil if certain conditions are met, holders may face greater difficulties in protecting their interests in the case of actions by us or our board of directors or executive officers than would shareholders of a U.S. corporation.

 

In addition, rules and policies against self-dealing or for preserving shareholder interests may be less well-defined and enforced in Brazil than in the United States and certain other countries, which may put holders of our common shares and ADSs at a potential disadvantage. Corporate disclosures also may be less complete or informative than those of a public company in the United States or in certain other countries.

 

Our status as a foreign private issuer allows us to follow local corporate governance practices, which may limit the protections afforded to investors.

 

We are a foreign private issuer, as defined by the SEC for purposes of the Exchange Act. As a result, for so long as we remain a foreign private issuer, we will be exempt from most of the corporate governance requirements of stock exchanges located in the United States; accordingly, you will not be provided with the benefits or have the same protections afforded to shareholders of U.S. public companies.

 

 23 

 

 

The standards applicable to us are considerably different from the standards applied to U.S. domestic issuers. Although Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act generally requires that a listed company have an audit committee of its board of directors composed solely of independent directors, as a foreign private issuer, we are relying on a general exemption from this requirement that is available to us as a result of the features of Brazilian law applicable to our fiscal council. In addition, we are not required to, among other things:

 

  have a majority of independent members on our board of directors;

 

  have a compensation committee or a nominating/corporate governance committee of our board of directors; and

 

  have regularly scheduled executive sessions with only non-management directors; or have at least one executive session of solely independent directors each year.

 

We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Exchange Act and, if we decide to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, our common stock could be less attractive to investors.

 

We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act. We are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with any PCAOB rules, that, if adopted in the future, would require mandatory audit firm rotation and auditor discussion and analysis pursuant to any future audit rule promulgated by the PCAOB (unless the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, determines otherwise). In addition, we are not subject to the additional level of review of our internal control over financial reporting as may occur when outside auditors attest as to our internal control over financial reporting. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We will remain an emerging growth company for up to five years from the date of our initial public offering of securities under an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, though we may cease to be an emerging growth company earlier under certain circumstances.

 

We take advantage of the exemption from the auditor attestation report requirement and may decide to rely on other exemptions in the future. We do not know if some investors will find our common stock less attractive as a result. The result may be a less active trading market for our common stock, and our stock price may be more volatile.

 

Brazilian tax laws may have an adverse impact on the taxes applicable to the disposition of our common shares and ADSs.

 

Under Law No. 10,833/2003, the gain on the disposition or sale of assets located in Brazil by a non-Brazilian resident, whether to another non-Brazilian resident or to a Brazilian resident, may be subject to income tax withholding in Brazil. With respect to the disposition of our common shares, as they are assets located in Brazil, a non-Brazilian resident should be subject to income tax on the gains assessed, regardless of whether the transactions are conducted in Brazil or with a Brazilian resident. With respect to our ADSs, although the matter is not entirely clear, arguably the gains realized by a non-Brazilian resident upon the disposition of ADSs to another non-Brazilian resident will not be taxed in Brazil, on the basis that ADSs are not “assets located in Brazil” for the purposes of Law No. 10,833/2003. We cannot assure you, however, that the Brazilian tax authorities or the Brazilian courts will agree with this interpretation. As a result, gains on a disposition of ADSs by a non-Brazilian resident to a Brazilian resident, or even to a non-Brazilian resident, in the event that courts determine that ADSs would constitute assets located in Brazil, may be subject to income tax in Brazil. See “Item 10—Additional Information—Taxation—Brazilian Tax Considerations.” 

 

The imposition of IOF taxes may indirectly influence the price and volatility of our ADSs and our common shares.

 

Brazilian law imposes the Tax on Foreign Exchange Transactions, or the IOF/Exchange tax, on the conversion of reais into foreign currency and on the conversion of foreign currency into reais. Brazilian law also imposes the Tax on Transactions Involving Bonds and Securities, or the IOF/Securities tax, due on transactions involving bonds and securities, including those carried out on a Brazilian stock exchange.

 

The IOF/Exchange tax was raised from zero to 6% on October 20, 2009. As of December 1, 2011, certain investments were excluded from the 6% tax and subject instead to a 2% IOF/Exchange tax. In 2009, the IOF/Securities tax was increased from zero to 1.5% on shares issued by a Brazilian company and listed on a Brazilian stock exchange for the purpose of allowing depositary receipts traded outside Brazil to be issued. In 2011, the IOF/Securities tax was increased from zero to 1% on currency-related derivative transactions resulting in an increase of the short position exposure in foreign currency or in a decrease of the long position in foreign currency. Since June 30, 2013, the IOF/Exchange tax and the IOF/Securities tax rates have been zero.

 

The imposition of these taxes may discourage foreign investment in shares of Brazilian companies, including our company, due to higher transaction costs, and may negatively impact the price and volatility of our ADSs and common shares if they become listed on a stock exchange in the United States, as well as on the B3.

 

We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company, which could result in adverse U.S. tax consequences for U.S. investors.

 

We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company (a “PFIC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Such characterization could result in adverse U.S. tax consequences to you if you are a U.S. Holder (as defined in “Item 10—Additional Information—Taxation—U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations”) of our common shares or ADSs. For example, if we are a PFIC, U.S. Holders of our common shares or ADSs may become subject to increased tax liabilities under U.S. tax laws and regulations and will become subject to burdensome reporting requirements. The determination of whether or not we are a PFIC is made on an annual basis and will depend on the composition of our income and assets from time to time. Specifically, for any taxable year we will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. tax purposes if either (i) 75% or more of our gross income in that taxable year is passive income or (ii) the average percentage of our assets by value in that taxable year that produce or are held for the production of passive income is at least 50%. For this purpose, income from commodities transactions is generally considered passive unless such income is derived in the active conduct of a commodities business.

 

See “Item 10—Additional Information—Taxation—U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company.”

 

 24 

 

 

ITEM 4—INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

 

A.History and Development of the Company Overview

 

Our legal and commercial name is BrasilAgro—Companhia Brasileira de Propriedades Agrícolas. We are a corporation (sociedade por ações) organized under the laws of Brazil, and were incorporated on September 23, 2005. Our principal offices are located at Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima, 1309, 5th floor, São Paulo, SP 0145-002, Brazil, and our telephone number is +55 11 3035 5350.

 

We are focused on the acquisition, development and exploration of agricultural properties that we believe possess significant potential for cash flow generation and value appreciation. We seek to transform our acquired properties through investments in infrastructure and technologies which permit cultivation of high value-added crops (soybean, corn, sugarcane and others) and cattle raising and from time to time sell our developed properties in order to realize capital gains.

 

Since our initial public equity offering and listing in Brazil on the B3 stock exchange in April 2006, or the IPO, and the subsequent commencement of our operations until the date hereof, we acquired 15 agricultural properties in seven Brazilian states, aggregating 300,288 hectares, of which 198,316 hectares were arable but less than 15% of which were cultivated when acquired and 101,972 hectares were protected by environmental regulation. Since then, four of our agricultural properties were fully sold and four of our agricultural properties were partly sold, representing in the aggregate a total area of 84,958 hectares. As of the date hereof, we hold 269,065 hectares, including 53,735 hectares leased.

 

In December 2013, we acquired a 50% interest in Cresca S.A., a company that owns 141,931 hectares of rural land in Paraguay, of which approximately 71,000 hectares were arable, but less than 12,000 hectares of which were cultivated when acquired, and approximately 70,931 were protected by environmental regulation. On October 5, 2016, we entered into an agreement with Carlos Casado S.A. (“Carlos Casado”), our partner in Cresca at the time, pursuant to which we agreed to try to sell all the land that Cresca owned for a 120-day period as of the execution date of the aforementioned agreement. Further to the provisions of the agreement, we and Carlos Casado also agreed to split ownership of the land among us and Carlos Casado if either party failed to dispose of the totality of the land within the 120-day period.

 

As the properties were not sold to third-parties, on June 6 and June 8, 2017, we and Carlos Casado decided to proceed with the redistribution of assets and liabilities of Cresca, whereby we would separate and divide the assets and liabilities of Cresca, and Cresca would re-distribute them to us and to Carlos Casado. As a result of this transaction, we now have the following two subsidiaries that received Cresca’s assets and liabilities: (i) Palmeiras S.A. (“Palmeiras”), which was incorporated on December 16, 2016 to operate the activities of our investment in Cresca S.A. and (ii) Agropecuária Moroti S.A. (“Moroti”), a subsidiary that received, on February 9, 2018, upon the conclusion of the re-distribution of assets and liabilities process, all other assets and liabilities of Cresca attributed to BrasilAgro, including land and debts.

  

On February 9, 2018, the re-distribution of assets and liabilities of Cresca was concluded and the portion of assets and liabilities attributed to us was transferred to the wholly-owned subsidiary Moroti. As of June 30, 2020, Moroti owned 59,585 hectares, of which 34,673 were arable.

 

On November 22, 2019, we entered into a merger agreement (the “Merger Agreement”) with Agrifirma Holding S.A. (“Agrifirma Holding”). Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, Agrifima Holding would be merged into us and we would receive all of its assets, rights and obligations, holding 100% of the equity capital of the subsidiary Agrifirma Agro Ltda. and its subsidiaries, in exchange for common shares and warrants (“Agrifirma Warrants”) issued by BrasilAgro to the selling shareholders of Agrifirma Holding (the “Merger”).

 

Agrifirma Agro Ltda. and its subsidiaries (“Agrifirma”) are engaged in the production, manufacture, storage and trading of agricultural products and the provision of agricultural services, as well as the management and commercial exploration of the properties that it owns. Since Agrifirma is engaged in operations in the same sector as BrasilAgro, we expect the following impacts by reason of the merger: operational, financial and commercial benefits, such as dilution of general and administrative expenses, capture of synergies and economies of scale in the operations and potential appreciation of undeveloped areas.

 

Agrifirma is comprised of its parent company (Agrifirma Agro Ltda.) and four subsidiaries, namely Agrifirma Bahia Agropecuária Ltda., I. A. Agro Ltda., GL Agropecuária Empreendimentos e Participações Ltda. and Agrifirma S.R.L.

 

 25 

 

 

The completion of the Merger was subject to certain requirements and conditions precedent, which were met on January 27, 2020, following which BrasilAgro obtained control of Agrifirma. The Merger was accounted for pursuant to IFRS 3 – Business Combinations. Please see Note 1.1 to the financial statements included in this annual report.

 

Following the Merger, we added 28,930 hectares to our property portfolio, consisting of land located in the Western region of the State of Bahia, near our Jatobá and Chaparral farms, which are suitable for grain production and cattle raising. After the Merger, the total number of our outstanding shares is 62,104,301.

 

We invested more than R$1,013.3 million since our IPO to acquire, develop and transform agricultural properties.

 

We will continue the investments to develop and transform our agricultural properties in Brazil and Paraguay. In this regard, we will continue to apply for financing with government development banks.

 

From July 1, 2016 until the date hereof:

 

in June 2020, we sold an area of 1,875 hectares (1,500 arable hectares) in the Jatobá farm, located in Jaborandi, in the State of Bahia. The total amount of the sale was 300 soybean bags per arable hectare, or R$45.0 million (approximately R$30,010 per arable hectare);

 

in April 2020, we acquired the Serra Grande farm, located in the municipality of Baixa Grande do Ribeiro, in the State of Piauí. The Serra Grande farm has an area of 4,489 hectares, 2,904 hectares of which are arable to be developed, suitable for the cultivation of grains. The acquisition price was approximately R$25.0 million (R$8,600 per arable hectare);

 

in May 2020, we sold an area of 105 hectares (105 arable hectares) in the Alto Taquari farm, located in Alto Taquari, in the State of Mato Grosso. The total amount of the sale was 1,100 soybean bags per arable hectare, or R$11.0 million (approximately R$105,000 per arable hectare);

 

in January 2020, we concluded the merger of Agrifirma into us, which added 28,930 hectares to our property portfolio;

 

in October 2019, we made an investment of US$ 1.0 million in Ag-Fintech Agrofy, or Agrofy, which represented a 1.8% stake in the share capital of Agrofy. Agrofy is an online marketplace that offers a complete range of e-commerce solutions customized to meet the needs of retailers and their partners, seeking an alternative way of connecting farmers and suppliers;

 

in October 2019, we sold an area of 85 hectares (65 arable hectares) in the Alto Taquari farm, located in Alto Taquari, in the State of Mato Grosso. The total amount of the sale was 1,100 soybean bags per arable hectare, or R$5.5 million (approximately R$84,817 per arable hectare);

 

in August 2019, we sold an area of 1,134 hectares (893 arable hectares) in the Jatobá farm, located in Jaborandi, in the State of Bahia. The total amount of the sale was 302 soybean bags per arable hectare, or R$23.2 million (approximately R$25,961 per arable hectare);

 

during the 2019/2020 crop year, we developed 2,000 hectares of our 215,330 hectares of arable land through the cultivation of soybeans and other value-added crops;

 

  in June 2019, we sold an area of 3,124 hectares (2,473 arable hectares) in the Jatobá farm, located in Jaborandi, in the State of Bahia. The total amount of the sale was 285 soybean bags per arable hectare, or R$58.1 million (approximately R$23,500 per arable hectare);

 

  in November 2018, we sold an area of 103 hectares (103 arable hectares) in the Alto Taquari farm, located in Alto Taquari, in the State of Mato Grosso. The total amount of the sale was 1,100 soybean bags per arable hectare, or R$8.0 million (approximately R$77,690 per arable hectare);

 

  during the 2018/2019 crop year, we developed 2,000 hectares of our 169,270 hectares of arable land through the cultivation of soybeans and other value-added crops;

 

  on August 28, 2018, we leased an area of 23,568 hectares, located in the municipality of São Félix do Araguaia, in the State of Mato Grosso. The new farm was named Partnership V. The lease agreement has a term of up to 10 years and was followed market prices practiced in the region;

  

 26 

 

 

  in July 2018, we sold an area of 9,784 hectares (7,485 arable hectares) in the Jatobá farm, located in Jaborandi, State of Bahia. The total amount of the sale was 285 soybean bags per arable hectare, or R$164.8 million (approximately R$22,018 per arable hectare);

  

  during the 2017/2018 crop year, we developed 2,000 hectares of our 172,032 hectares of arable land through the cultivation of soybeans and other value-added crops;

  

  in May 2018, we sold an area of 956 hectares (660 arable hectares) in the Araucária farm, located in Mineiros, State of Goiás. The total amount of the sale was 1,208 soybean bags per arable hectare, or R$52.4 million (approximately R$79,393 per arable hectare);

   

  in May 2018, we issued Agribusiness Receivables Certificates (ARC) in the aggregate amount of R$142.2 million. The ARCs are secured by debentures that were issued in two series, the first in the amount of R$85.2 million, and the second in the amount of R$57 million. The first series of debentures will mature on August 1, 2022 and be repaid in three annual installments starting on July 30, 2020, and accrue interest at 106.5% of the DI rate, payable on July 30 of each year. The second series of debentures will mature on July 31, 2023 and be repaid in four annual installments starting on July 30, 2020, and accrue interest at 110.0% of the DI rate, payable on July 30 of each year;

 

  on February 9, 2018, the re-distribution of assets and liabilities of Cresca was concluded and the portion of assets and liabilities attributed to us was transferred to the wholly-owned subsidiary Moroti. As of June 30, 2020, Moroti owned 59,585 hectares, of which 34,673 were arable;

 

  in June 2017, we sold an area in the Jatobá Farm, a rural property located in the State of Bahia. A total of 625 hectares (500 hectares of arable land) were sold, worth 300 soybean bags per hectare of arable land or R$10.1 million (approximately R$20,180/ha);

 

  in March 2017 and May 2017, we sold two areas in the Araucaria Farm, a rural property located in the State of Goias. In March 2017, 274 hectares (200 hectares of arable land) were sold in the amount of 1,000 soybean bags per hectare of arable land or R$12.5 million (R$13.2 million nominal value/approximately R$66,227/ha). The second area, sold in May 2017, totaled 1,360 hectares (918 hectares of arable land), worth 280 soybean bags per hectare or arable land or R$17.0 million (approximately R$18,535/ha). It is important to highlight that this area includes a lowland area and, therefore, the value of the sale per hectare of arable land is lower compared to the sale held in the same farm in March, which consisted of a plateau area;

 

  we conducted a purchase and agricultural partnership for a property in state of Maranhão, whereby we acquired 17,566 hectares, 10,137 hectares of arable land in February 2017, that has already been developed, and will be used for the planting of grain crops. The other 7,566 hectares are permanent preservation and legal reserve areas. The acquisition price is R$100.0 million (R$10 thousand/hectare of arable land) and the agricultural partnership consists of 15,000 of arable and developed land, already planted mostly with sugarcane. The Agricultural Partnership has a term of 15 years, which may be extended for the same period;

 

  during 2016/2017 crop year, we developed 5,117 hectares of our 199,114 hectares of arable land through the cultivation of soybeans and other value-added crops;

 

  on October 5, 2016, we entered into an agreement with Carlos Casado, our partner in Cresca, to try to sell all the land that Cresca owned or to split ownership of the land between us and Carlos Casado if a 120 day period since execution of the agreement lapsed;

 

 27 

 

 

The map below indicates the location of our agricultural properties, their arable areas and their current or intended production activities as of September 30, 2020:  

 

   Property  Location  Acquisition/Lease Date  Total Area   Arable Area   Project  Ownership
            (ha)   (ha)       
1  Jatobá Farm  Jaborandi/BA  March 2007   14,930    11,590   Grains and Pasture  Owned
2  Alto Taquari Farm  Alto Taquari/MT  August 2007   5,103    3,503   Sugarcane  Owned
3  Araucária Farm  Mineiros/GO  April 2007   5,534    4,051   Sugarcane  Owned
4  Chaparral Farm  Correntina/BA  November 2007   37,182    26,444   Grains and Cotton  Owned
5  Nova Buriti Farm  Januaria/MG  December 2007   24,212    17,846   Forest  Owned
6  Preferência Farm  Barreiras/BA  September 2008   17,799    12,410   Grains and Pasture  Owned
7  Moroti Farm(1)  Boqueron/ Paraguay  February 2018   59,585    34,673   Grains and Pasture  Owned
8  Partnership II Farm(2)  Ribeiro Gonçalves/PI  November 2013   7,500    7,500   Grains  Leased
9  Partnership III Farm(3)  Alto Taquari/MT  May 2015   5,624    5,624   Sugarcane  Leased
10  Partnership IV Farm(4)  São Raimundo das Mangabeiras/MA  February 2017   15,000    15,000   Sugarcane  Leased
11  São José Farm  São Raimundo das Mangabeiras/MA  February 2017   17,566    10,137   Grains and Sugarcane  Owned
12  Partnership V Farm(5)  São Félix do Araguáia/MT  August 2018   20,138    20,138   Grains  Leased
13  Arrojadinho Farm(6)  Jaborandi/BA  January 2020   16,642    10,306   Grains  Owned
14  Rio do Meio Farm(7)  Jaborandi/BA  January 2020   12,288    8,501   Grains  Owned
15  Serra Grande Farm  Baixa Grande do Ribeiro/PI  April 2020   4,489    2,904   Grains  Owned
16  Partnership VII Farm(8)  Baixa Grande do Ribeiro/PI  December 2019   5,473    5,473   Grains  Leased
                          
   Total         269,065    196,100       

  

(1)New corporate name of the operations in Paraguay. In the year ended June 30, 2020, we reassessed land use planning and adjusted the farm area.

 

 28 

 

 

(2)BrasilAgro entered into an agricultural exploration partnership with respect to the Partnership II Farm for up to 11 harvests, involving up to 10,000 hectares.
(3)BrasilAgro entered into an agricultural exploration partnership with respect to the Partnership III Farm with a term valid until March 31, 2026.
(4)BrasilAgro entered into an agricultural exploration partnership with respect to the Partnership IV Farm for a term of 15 years for planting sugarcane, with an option to renew for another 15 years.
(5)BrasilAgro entered into an agricultural exploration partnership with respect to the Partnership V Farm for a term of up to 10 years.
(6)Previously referred to as Partnership VI, the farm was acquired through the Merger of Agrifirma.
(7)Farm acquired through the Merger of Agrifirma.
(8)BrasilAgro entered into an agricultural exploration partnership with respect to the Partnership VII Farm for a term of up to 10 years.

 

We have a policy of performing annual appraisals of the fair market value of our agricultural properties. We estimate the market value of our agricultural properties based on each property’s level of development, soil quality and maturity and agricultural potential. For more information concerning our estimates of the fair market value of our agricultural properties, see Note 10 to our financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020.

 

Our estimates of the market value of our agricultural properties are based on several assumptions, methodologies, estimates and subjective judgments, all of which are inherently subject to significant commercial, economic, competitive and operational uncertainties, most of which are beyond our control and unforeseeable and therefore no assurance can be given that they are correct. Furthermore, market values of real estate are subject to significant fluctuations and are also subject to significant commercial, economic and competitive uncertainties, most of which are beyond our control, and thus such estimates should not be considered as indicative of the values that we will or may be able to receive in exchange for such properties. For more information on the risks we are exposed to, see “Item 3—Key Information—Risk Factors.” The table below indicates the historical cost of acquisition of the land and of subsequent improvements, as well as the estimated fair market value, with respect to our agricultural properties, as of June 30, 2020.

 

The SEC maintains an internet website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding companies that file or furnish documents electronically to the SEC, including us. Our internet website is www.brasil-agro.com. The information included on our internet website or the information that might be accessed through such website is not included in this annual report and is not incorporated into this annual report by reference.

 

Property  Location  Acquisition Date  Total Area   Land and Improvement Cost as of
June 30,
2020(1)
   Estimated Fair Market Value as of June 30,
2020
   Appreciation(2) 
         (ha)   (R$ millions)         
Jatobá Farm  Jaborandi/BA  March 2007   14,930    28.4    242.5    755%
Alto Taquari Farm  Alto Taquari/MT  August 2007   5,103    33.3    194.5    485%
Araucária Farm  Mineiros/GO  April 2007   5,534    45.5    190.3    318%
Chaparral Farm  Correntina/BA  November 2007   37,182    89.6    417.7    366%
Nova Buriti Farm  Januaria/MG  December 2007   24,212    23.5    35.3    50%
Preferência Farm  Barreiras/BA  September 2008   17,799    27.1    68.2    152%
Moroti Farm  Boqueron Paraguay  February 2018   59,585    233.0    235.3    1%
São José Farm  São Raimundo das Mangabeiras/MA  February 2017   17,566    110.4    247.6    124%
Arrojadinho Farm  Jaborandi/BA  January 2020   16,642    84.8    88.5    4%
Rio do Meio Farm  Jaborandi/BA  January 2020   12,288    120.8    123.1    2%
Serra Grande Farm  Baixa Grande do Ribeiro/PI  April 2020   4,489    26.1    30.3    16%
Total         215,330    822.3    1,873.3    128%

  

(1)Consists of land and capital expenditures, including buildings, infrastructure and other improvements to the property, net of depreciation expenses.
(2)Appreciation includes the impact of inflation since the acquisition date.

 

B.Business Overview

 

We are focused on the acquisition, development and exploration of agricultural properties that we believe possess significant potential for cash flow generation and value appreciation. We seek to transform our acquired properties through investments in infrastructure and technologies which permit cultivation of high value-added crops (soybean, corn, sugarcane and other) and cattle raising and from time to time sell our developed properties in order to realize capital gains. We are currently involved in several farming activities, including grains and sugarcane production and cattle raising.

 

 29 

 

 

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic

 

Government measures in Brazil

 

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, the Brazilian government created a crisis committee to monitor the impact of COVID-19 in March 2020. Since then, it has announced several measures (tax and others) to address the effects of COVID-19. In this regard, the Brazilian health authorities, as well as several state and municipal authorities have adopted or recommended social distancing measures. Likewise, the Brazilian Congress is currently discussing several measures to increase the Brazilian government’s revenues, such as imposing new taxes, revoking tax benefits and increasing the rates of current taxes, including revoking the tax exemption granted to dividend distributions paid by Brazilian companies, which could affect the return of our investments, as well as of our shareholders.

 

In Brazil, states and municipalities may also revoke tax benefits and increase the rates of current taxes to increase their revenues

 

Company measures

 

In order to guarantee the hygiene and safety conditions established by the Brazilian Ministry of Health (Ministério da Saúde) and to preserve the health of our employees, we have adopted a plan with several measures established especifically for this purpose.

 

Key initiatives were the creation of a Prevention and Risk Committee, implementing remote work arrangements and the adoption of several measures and protocols to preserve the safety of all people involved in our operations, following the guidelines established by the Brazilian Ministry of Health (Ministério da Saúde).

 

Measures were also taken to support our operations and preserve cash, such as:

 

contracting new lines of credit, such as financing for agricultural cost, sugarcane and for working capital purposes;

 

early delivery of inputs; and

 

anticipating sales of agricultural products to ensure greater storage capacity.

 

Additionally, as of June 30, 2020, although we did not record material losses or gains in our 2020 financial results directly related to the pandemic, we continue to monitor possible future impacts due to:

 

exchange rate volatility, in connection with derivative operations related to currency operations and operations with commodities that we enter into to guarantee production margins in financial operations. For more information, see “Item 5—Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Results of Operations.”

 

volatility in sugar and ethanol prices and the consequent impact on sugarcane demand and prices;

 

changes in the expected sugarcane payment cycle arising from negotiations with our customers; as of June 30, 2020 none of our customers had missed payments; and

 

volatility in other commodity prices.

 

Our operations in Brazil and Paraguay continue without any material changes. Most of our business operations have not experienced any major disruption.

 

Agricultural Activities and Products

 

Independent Production

 

As of June 30, 2020, we were the operators with respect to our entire portfolio of agricultural properties. In the context of our independent operations, we maintain exclusive control over our production and exclusive responsibility for the acquisition of inputs, raw materials and equipment, hiring and oversight of employees, and infrastructure investment. We currently sell a substantial portion of our production to a small number of import/export companies or customers who have substantial bargaining power. Our net revenue was R$487.6 million for the year ended June 30, 2020 and R$357.9 million for the year ended June 30, 2019. All of our sales are to customers located in Brazil and Paraguay.

 

 30 

 

 

We enter into short-term contractual arrangements with third-party contractors, at all stages of the production process, for the provision of services (including our workforce), equipment, and infrastructure needs. We believe that this allows us to be more agile in adapting to market conditions as they unfold.

 

Our agricultural properties are managed by local managers, either on a regional level or for specific properties, depending on the location and size of each property. As of June 30, 2020, we had one senior general manager for all of our farms, one manager at the São José Farm and Partnership IV farms, one manager at the Serra Grande, Partnership II and Partership VII farms, one manager at the Arrojadinho and Jatobá farms, one manager at the Chaparral and Rio do Meio farms, one manager at the Preferência Farm, one manager at the Partnership V farm, one regional manager at the Araucária, Alto Taquari and Partnership III farms, and one manager at the Moroti Farm.

 

Leases

 

As an alternative to independent production, we leased in the past, and may lease again in the future, our agricultural properties to third parties.

 

Generally, our leases are subject to different obligations depending on the stage of development of the subject property. With respect to leases of our properties on which the land is undeveloped, lessees are subject to several terms and conditions, including requirements to invest and to use the techniques and equipment that we believe are necessary and appropriate for the preparation and correction of the soil in order to facilitate agricultural production. In addition to leases of land, we may also lease individual farmhouses or warehouses to lessees, pursuant to which we receive a portion of the agricultural production, in kind, produced by the lessee. Our leases generally last between three to ten years. Under Brazilian law, lessees have a right of first refusal to purchase farms when they are leased by them.

 

Grains

 

The planting season for grains runs from September to December, and harvest occurs between February and May of each year. During the planting season for our 2019/2020 crop year, we planted 81,905 hectares of grains at our grain farms in Brazil and Paraguay. For the years ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, net revenue from sale of grains accounted for 47.9% and 47.9% of our net revenue, respectively.

 

All distribution of production from the farms is through road transportation. We enter into third-party service contracts to transport production from our farms to our storage facilities or to our customers.

 

Sugarcane

 

The sugarcane planting season runs from February to May of each year, and harvest occurs between April and November of each year. On June 30, 2020, we had 29,169 hectares planted with sugarcane at our Araucária, Alto Taquari, São José Farm, Partnership III and Partnership IV farms.

 

We entered into a supply contract with Brenco, pursuant to which we currently supply the entirety of our sugarcane production from our Alto Taquari, Araucária, and Partnership III farms to them. The term of this supply contract covers two full crop cycles, which consists of six crop years and five harvests, and is scheduled to expire in 2021/2022. In the year ended June 30, 2020 and as of the date hereof, Brenco has not defaulted on the payment of any receivable. We currently run the risk of default by Brenco, our main customer, associated with the fact that its controlling shareholder, Odebrecht S.A., is being investigated by the Brazilian Federal Police for corruption in the operation called “Lava Jato” (Car Wash) and the fact that Brenco filed for reorganization bankruptcy in Brazil (recuperação judicial) in May 2019.

 

In the table below, we present the aging of the receivables from Brenco, based on contractual terms.

 

  

As of

June 30,

2020

 
Falling due:  (in R$ thousands) 
     
Up to 30 days   10,402 
30 to 90 days    
91 to 180 days    
181 to 360 days   1,570 
Total   11,972 

 

 31 

 

 

On May 8, 2015, we entered into a lease agreement with respect to a property located in the municipalities of Alto Taquari and Alto Araguaia, in the state of Mato Grosso (“Partnership III”), pursuant to which we have the right to operate an area of 4,263 hectares by March 31, 2026. The properties are close to Alto Taquari Farm, a region that has had excellent sugarcane production results. This transaction allows us to make use of the operational structure and team already present in the region and ensure greater property management flexibility.

 

We entered into a supply contract with Agro Serra, pursuant to which we currently supply the entirety of our sugarcane production from our Partnership IV farm to them. The term of this supply contract is 15 years, renewable for another 15 years.

 

For the years ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, net revenue from the sale of sugarcane accounted for 39.6% and 44.8% of our net revenue, respectively.

 

Our farm output is distributed through road transportation. We enter into third-party service contracts with trucking companies to transport production from our farms to our customers’ sugar and ethanol refineries.

 

Livestock

 

As of June 30, 2020, we had 15,064 head of cattle distributed over 13,721 hectares of active pasture.

 

Cotton

 

The planting season for cotton runs from September to December of each year, and the harvest occurs between February and May of each year. During the planting season for our 2019/2020 crop year, we planted 1,713 hectares of cotton at our Chaparral farm. For the year ended June 30, 2020, net revenue from the sale of cotton accounted for 2.7% of our revenue.

 

Others

 

As of June 30, 2020, we had 24,212 hectares of farmland at our Nova Buriti farm. We are currently in the process of obtaining the necessary permits in order to begin operations. Due to the difficulties we have been facing in regard to obtaining licenses for the farm, we are studying alternatives for the property. One such option is to sell the farm to offset the legal reserve, a mechanism contemplated in the environmental code pursuant to which holders of a legal reserve deficit can acquire another area to solve certain issues.

 

Investment properties

 

As of June 30, 2020, the net book value of our investment properties was R$858.3 million, of which R$686.1 million represented land acquisition costs and R$172.2 million (net of accumulated depreciation) represented improvements, including building and infrastructure improvements and costs of clearing and preparing the land. For the years ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, gains on farm sales accounted for R$61.4 million and R$142.8 million, respectively.

 

Agricultural Properties

 

As of June 30, 2020, we owned eleven agricultural properties, totaling 196,100 hectares of arable land (not including environmental preservation areas in accordance with Brazilian and Paraguayan environmental law), including 53,735 hectares of leased area, located in the Brazilian States of Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Maranhão, Bahia, Piauí and in Paraguay. During the planting season for our 2019/2020 crop year, we planted 54,342 hectares of soybean, 24,939 hectares of corn (1st and 2nd crops), 29,169 hectares of sugarcane, 23,561 hectares of other grains (sesame, sorghum and others and leased areas to third parties), 2,624 hectares of beans, 1,713 hectares of cotton and 16,806 hectares of pasture. Except for part of the Nova Buriti farm, we acquire and hold our agricultural properties through subsidiaries, a structure we believe will simplify the future sale of such properties in accordance with Brazilian law. In addition, we entered into rural partnerships to operate agricultural properties, the Partnerships II, III, IV, V and VII.

 

São José Farm: As of June 30, 2020, the São José farm had an area of 17,566 hectares. The São José farm was acquired by our subsidiary Imobiliária Ceibo Ltda. in February 2017 for R$100.0 million. The property is located in the State of Maranhão, in the Northeastern region of Brazil.

 

 32 

 

 

We acquired 17,566 hectares, 10,137 hectares of which are arable and have already been developed, and will be used for the planting of grain crops. The other 7,429 hectares are permanent preservation and legal reserve areas. The acquisition price is R$100.0 million (R$10 thousand/arable hectare).

 

The agricultural partnership consists of 15,000 hectares of arable and developed land, already planted mostly with sugarcane. The agricultural partnership has a term of 15 years, which may be extended for the same period.

 

During the planting season for our 2019/2020 crop year, we planted 4,836 hectares of soybean, 580 hectares of corn, 631 hectares of second corn crop and 18,668 hectares of sugarcane at the São José farm.

 

Jatobá Farm: As of June 30, 2020, the Jatobá farm had an area of 14,930 hectares. The Jatobá farm was acquired by us, in partnership with Grupo Maeda, in 2007, for R$33.0 million. On May 12, 2012, we acquired Grupo Maeda’s partnership stake and became 100% owners of the Jatobá farm, through our subsidiary Jaborandi Propriedades Agrícolas. The property is located in the Municipality of Jaborandi, State of Bahia, in the Northeastern region of Brazil, which we believe to be advantageous for export purposes due to the presence of the Port of Candeias in the State of Bahia.

 

On June 30, 2017, we sold 625 hectares of our Jatobá farm, 500 of which are arable, for a total sale price of R$10.1 million, equivalent to 300 soybean bags per arable hectare. In July 2018, we sold 9,784 hectares of our Jatobá farm, 7,485 of which are arable, for a total sale price of R$164.8 million, equivalent to 285 soybean bags per arable hectare. In June 2019, we sold 3,124 hectares of our Jatobá farm, 2,473 of which are arable, for a total sale price of R$58.1 million, equivalent to 285 soybean bags per arable hectare. In September 2019, we sold 1,134 hectares of our Jatobá farm, 893 of which are arable, for a total sale price of R$23.2 million, equivalent to 302 soybean bags per arable hectare. In June 2020, we sold 1,875 hectares of our Jatobá farm, 1,500 of which are arable, for a total sale price of R$45.0 million, equivalent to 300 soybean bags per arable hectare. After these sales, the area of the Jatobá farm held by us is 14,930 hectares, of which approximately 11,590 hectares are arable.

 

Alto Taquari Farm: As of June 30, 2020, the Alto Taquari farm had an area of 5,103 hectares. The Alto Taquari farm was acquired by our subsidiary Imobiliária Mogno in August 2007 for R$33.2 million. The deed was granted in September 2015 after we paid the outstanding balance of R$27.4 million. Prior to our acquisition, the Alto Taquari farm was used for grain cultivation and cattle raising. As of June 30, 2020, we planted 2,525 hectares of sugarcane, 784 hectares of soybeans and 663 hectares of second corn crop. The 2009/2010 crop year marked the beginning of our obligations in compliance with our supply contract with Brenco, under which we supply the entirety of our sugarcane production from the Alto Taquari farm to them for a term of two complete crop cycles (six crop years and five harvests), which is expected to end in 2023. The property is located in the Municipality of Alto Taquari, State of Mato Grosso.

 

In November 2018, we sold 103 hectares of our Alto Taquari farm, all of which are arable, for a total sale price of R$8.0 million, equivalent to 1,100 soybean bags per arable hectare. In October 2019, we sold 85 hectares of our Alto Taquari farm, 65 of which are arable, for a total sale price of R$5.5 million, equivalent to 1,100 soybean bags per arable hectare. In May 2020, we sold 105 hectares of our Alto Taquari farm, all of which are arable, for a total sale price of R$11.0 million, equivalent to 1,100 soybean bags per arable hectare. After these sales, the area of the Alto Taquari farm held by us is 5,103 hectares, of which approximately 3,503 hectares are arable.

 

Araucária Farm: As of June 30, 2020, the Araucária farm had an area of 5,534 hectares. The Araucária farm was acquired by our subsidiary Imobiliária Araucária in April 2007, in partnership with Brenco, in the proportion of 75% and 25%, respectively, for the total amount of R$80.0 million. The deed for Araucária farm was granted on November 20, 2008, and it was registered on November 24, 2008, upon which our partnership with Brenco was terminated and we remained the sole owners of 9,682 hectares of the Araucária farm, equivalent to R$70.7 million. The property is located in the Municipality of Mineiros, in the State of Goiás, and is primarily used for the cultivation of sugarcane and grain.

  

On May 2018, we sold 956 hectares of our Araucária Farm, 660 of which are arable (for a total sale price of R$52.4 million, equivalent to 1,208 soybean bags per arable hectare). On March 27, 2017, we sold 274 hectares of our Araucária Farm, 200 of which are arable, for a total sale price of R$12.5 million or (R$13.2 million nominal value, equivalent to 1,000 soybean bags). On May 30, 2017, we sold 1,360 hectares of our Araucária Farm, 918 of which are arable, for a total sale price of R$17.0 million, equivalent to 280 soybean bags. On April 25, 2013, we sold 394 hectares of our Araucária farm, 310 of which are arable, for a total sale price of R$10.3 million, equivalent to 48,000 soybean bags, and on June 27, 2014, we sold 1,164 hectares of our Araucária Farm, 913 of which are arable, for a total purchase price of R$41.3 million, equivalent to 735,000 soybean bags. After the sales, the area of Araucária farm held by us was 5,534 hectares, of which approximately 4,051 hectares are arable.

 

 33 

 

 

The 2009/2010 crop year marked the beginning of our obligations under our supply contract with Brenco to supply the entirety of our sugarcane production from the Araucária farm to them for a term of two complete crop cycles (six crop years and five harvests), which is expected to end in 2020.

 

Chaparral Farm: As of June 30, 2020, the Chaparral farm had an area of 37,182 hectares. The Chaparral farm was acquired by our subsidiary Imobiliária Cajueiro in November 2007 for R$47.9 million. The deed was granted on September 29, 2008 and was registered on December 12, 2008. The property is located in the Municipality of Correntina, State of Bahia.

 

During the planting season for our 2019/2020 crop year, we planted 9.552 hectares of soybean, 1,713 hectares of cotton, 301 hectares of second bean crop, 3,085 hectares of pasture and 4,598 hectares of others cultures at the Chaparral farm.

  

Nova Buriti Farm: As of June 30, 2020, the Nova Buriti farm had an area of 24,212 hectares. The Nova Buriti farm was acquired in December 2007 for the total amount of R$22.0 million. The transfer of 3,064 hectares was made in May 2010 to our subsidiary Imobiliária Flamboyant Ltda. and the remaining 21,147 hectares was transferred to us in August 2017, upon the payment of the balance of the price of the amount of R$12.8 million, with the exclusion of the monetary correction as negotiated with the seller. Our subsidiary Imobiliária Flamboyant Ltda. holds a 13% interest in the property, and we hold the remaining 87%. The property is located in the municipality of Bonito de Minas and Cônego Marinho, State of Minas Gerais in the Southeastern region of Brazil, which is in close proximity to major iron producers who utilize large quantities of biofuel, especially from eucalyptus wood, to generate electricity.

 

We are currently in the process of obtaining the necessary permits in order to begin operations. Due to the difficulties we have been facing in regard to obtaining licenses for the farm, we are studying alternatives for the property. One such option is to sell the farm to offset the legal reserve, a mechanism contemplated in the environmental code pursuant to which holders of a legal reserve deficit can acquire another area to solve certain issues.

 

Preferência Farm: As of June 30, 2020, the Preferência farm had an area of 17,799 hectares. The Preferência farm was acquired in September 2008 by our subsidiary Imobiliária Cajueiro for R$9.6 million. The deed was granted on September 4, 2009, and registration was made on February 24, 2010. The property is located in the Municipality of Barreiras, State of Bahia. We use the property for cattle raising and grain cultivation.

 

As of June 30, 2020, we had 6,344 hectares of active pasture at our Preferência farm.

 

Partnership II: On October 11, 2013, we entered into a rural partnership agreement with respect to Partnership II farm for up to 11 harvests, which is expected to end in June 2024. The Partnership II farm is located in the municipality of Ribeiro Gonçalves, in the state of Piauí, which has had excellent grain production results. We operate an area up to 7,500 hectares, which is suitable for grain crops. During the planting season for our 2019/2020 crop year, we planted 7,608 hectares of grains at the Partnership II farm.

 

Partnership III: On May 8, 2015, we entered into a rural partnership agreement with respect to a property located in the municipalities of Alto Taquari and Alto Araguaia, in the state of Mato Grosso (“Partnership III”), pursuant to which we have the right to operate an area of up to 5,624 hectares until March 31, 2026. The properties are close to the Alto Taquari Farm, a region that has had excellent sugarcane production results. This transaction allows us to make use of the operational structure and team already present in the region and ensure greater property management flexibility.

 

Partnership IV: On January 11, 2017, we entered into a rural partnership agreement with respect to a property located in the municipalities of São Raimundo das Mangabeiras, in the state of Maranhão (“Partnership IV”), pursuant to which we have the right to operate an area of up to 15,000 hectares. The agricultural partnership is already planted mostly with sugarcane and has a term of 15 years, renewable for another 15 years.

 

Partnership V: On August 28, 2018, we entered into a rural partnership agreement with respect to a property located in São Felix do Araguaia, in the state of Mato Grosso (“Partnership V”), pursuant to which we have the right to operate an area of up to 20,138 hectares for up to 10 years. These areas are mature, with more than five years under production and are suitable for a second crop.

 

During the planting season for our 2019/2020 crop year, we planted 37,625 hectares of grains (crop and second crop) at the Partnership V farm.

 

Serra Grande and Partnership VII: In April 2020, we acquired the Serra Grande farm located in Baixa Grande do Ribeiro, in the State of Piauí. The acquisition consisted of an area of 4,489 hectares, 2,904 hectares of which are arable to be developed and are suitable for grains cultivation. The other 1,585 hectares are permanent preservation and legal reserve areas. The acquisition price was R$25.0 million, or R$8,600 per arable hectare. We made an initial payment of R$10.7 million and will make remaining payments in three equal annual installments.

 

 34 

 

 

In addition to the acquisition, the Company has an agricultural partnership in an area of 5,473 hectares of arable and developed land, already planted and operated by the Company during the 19/20 harvest (Partnership VII). This area is contiguous to the acquired area, has more than 5 years in average of production and high production potential. Partnership VII has a term up to 12 years, with a call option until 2024.

 

Cresca: Cresca is a company that invests in agricultural and cattle raising land in Paraguay. On December 12, 2013, we entered into an agreement with Cresud, our controlling shareholder, for: (i) the acquisition of its interest in Cresca S.A., representing a 50% interest of the company, (ii) the assumption of Cresud credits with Cresca, and (iii) the execution of an advisory service agreement, pursuant to which Cresud agreed to render services to Cresca in exchange for the payment of fees. The total consideration of the transaction was US$19.8 million.

 

On the purchase date, Cresca had approximately 81,000 hectares and had a contract for the right to purchase approximately 61,000 additional hectares of agricultural land in the region of Mariscal Estigarribia in Paraguay. Pursuant to this agreement, Cresca purchased 35,864 hectares on July 9, 2014, and the remaining 24,753 hectares on January 20, 2015.

 

On April 4, 2014, Cresca sold 24,624 hectares in Paraguay, 12,312 of which are arable, for a total price of US$14.8 million (US$600 per hectare). The purchaser made an initial payment of US$1.9 million and paid the first installment in the amount of US$4.3 million upon the execution of the property transfer deed and the sold area possession transfer. The purchaser made payments totaling the amount of US$3.7 million in 2015 and a final payment of US$4.9 million on July 20, 2016.

 

On October 5, 2016, we entered into an agreement with Carlos Casado, our partner in Cresca at the time, pursuant to which we agreed to try to sell all the land that Cresca owned for a 120-day period as of the execution date of the aforementioned agreement. Further to the provisions of the agreement, we and Carlos Casado also agreed to split ownership of the land among us and Carlos Casado if either party failed to dispose of the totality of the land within the 120-day period.

 

As the properties were not sold to third-parties, on June 6 and June 8, 2017, we and Carlos Casado decided to proceed with the re-distribution of assets and liabilities of Cresca, whereby we would separate and divide the assets and liabilities of Cresca, and Cresca would re-distribute them to us and to Carlos Casado. As a result of this transaction, we now have the following two subsidiaries that received Cresca’s assets and liabilities: (i) Palmeiras, which was incorporated to operate the activities of the Company’s investment in Cresca and (ii) Moroti, a subsidiary that received, on February 9, 2018, upon conclusion of the process, all other assets and liabilities of Cresca attributed to BrasilAgro, including land and debts.

 

On February 9, 2018, the re-distribution of assets and liabilities of Cresca was concluded and the portion of assets and liabilities attributed to the Company was transferred to the wholly-owned subsidiary Moroti.

 

As part of the re-distribution of assets and liabilities, the Company and Carlos Casado, partners in the joint venture, decided to waive the interest for late payment on the intercompany loans taken by Cresca in the total amount of R$32.9 million, of which BrasilAgro’s share was R$16.6 million. See Note 1.6 to our financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020.

 

As of June 30, 2020, Moroti owned 59,585 hectares of which 34,673 were arable. During the planting season for our 2019/2020 crop year, we planted 6,286 hectares of soybean, 2,196 hectares of corn, 3,167 hectares of other grains and 3,064 hectares of pasture at the farm in Paraguay.

 

Arrojadinho Farm: On November 22, 2019, we entered into a Merger Agreement with Agrifirma Holding. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, Agrifima Holding would be merged into us and we would receive all of its assets, rights and obligations, holding 100% of the equity capital of the subsidiary Agrifirma Agro Ltda. and its subsidiaries, in exchange for common shares and Agrifirma Warrants issued by BrasilAgro to the selling shareholders of Agrifirma Holding.

 

Agrifirma and its subsidiaries are engaged in the production, manufacture, storage and trading of agricultural products and the provision of agricultural services, as well as the management and commercial exploration of the properties that it owns. Since Agrifirma is engaged in operations in the same sector as BrasilAgro, we expect the following impacts immediately after the merger: operational, financial and commercial benefits, such as dilution of general and administrative expenses, capture of synergies and economies of scale in the operations and potential appreciation of undeveloped areas.

 

Agrifirma is comprised of its parent company (Agrifirma Agro Ltda.) and four subsidiaries, namely Agrifirma Bahia Agropecuária Ltda., I. A. Agro Ltda., GL Agropecuária Empreendimentos e Participações Ltda. and Agrifirma S.R.L.

 

The completion of the Merger was subject to certain requirements and conditions precedent, which were met on January 27, 2020, following which BrasilAgro obtained control of Agrifirma. The Merger was accounted for pursuant to IFRS 3 – Business Combinations. Please see Note 1.1 to the financial statements included in this annual report.

 

 35 

 

 

Following the Merger, we added 28,930 hectares to our property portfolio, of which 16,642 hectares are on the Arrojadinho Farm, located in Jaborandi, in the State of Bahia. The Arrojadinho farm is suitable for grain production and cattle raising.

 

During the planting season for our 2019/2020 crop year, we planted 3,760 hectares of grains at the Arrojadinho farm.

 

Rio do Meio Farm: On November 22, 2019, we entered into a Merger Agreement with Agrifirma Holding. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, Agrifima Holding would be merged into us and we would receive all of its assets, rights and obligations, holding 100% of the equity capital of the subsidiary Agrifirma Agro Ltda. and its subsidiaries, in exchange for common shares and Agrifirma Warrants issued by BrasilAgro to the selling shareholders of Agrifirma Holding.

 

Agrifirma and its subsidiaries are engaged in the production, manufacture, storage and trading of agricultural products and the provision of agricultural services, as well as the management and commercial exploration of the properties that it owns. Since Agrifirma is engaged in operations in the same sector as BrasilAgro, we expect the following impacts immediately after the merger: operational, financial and commercial benefits, such as dilution of general and administrative expenses, capture of synergies and economies of scale in the operations and potential appreciation of undeveloped areas.

 

Agrifirma is comprised of its parent company (Agrifirma Agro Ltda.) and four subsidiaries, namely Agrifirma Bahia Agropecuária Ltda., I. A. Agro Ltda., GL Agropecuária Empreendimentos e Participações Ltda. and Agrifirma S.R.L.

 

The completion of the Merger was subject to certain requirements and conditions precedent, which were met on January 27, 2020, following which BrasilAgro obtained control of Agrifirma.

 

Following the Merger, we added 28,930 hectares to our property portfolio, of which 12,288 hectares are on the Rio do Meio Farm, located in Jaborandi, in the State of Bahia. The Rio do Meio farm is suitable for grain production and cattle raising.

 

During the planting season for our 2019/2020 crop year, we leased 8,043 hectares of the Rio do Meio farm to third parties.

 

Investment in Brenco – Companhia Brasileira de Energia Renovável

 

In March 2007, we acquired an indirect minority interest in Brenco, controlled by Odebrecht S.A., through our 40.65% investment in Green Ethanol LLC (previously known as Tarpon All Equities Fund LLC), which we acquired for a purchase price of US$2.5 million. Green Ethanol LLC held 2.47% of the capital stock of Brenco, including 7,600,000 warrants issued by Brenco. In March 2008, we signed contracts for the exclusive supply to Brenco of the entirety of our sugarcane production over two full crop cycles. See “Item 4—Information On the Company—Material Agreements.”

 

In September 2008, Green Ethanol LLC decreased its shareholding in Brenco to 1.55% of Brenco’s capital stock, which percentage was subsequently increased to 3.80% in December 2008. In February 2010, ETH Bioenergia acquired substantially all of the capital stock of Brenco, thereby diluting our indirect ownership interest (held through Green Ethanol LLC) to 0.05% of Brenco’s capital stock as of December 31, 2010. As a result of the losses incurred by Brenco and of the significant level of debt, we carried out an impairment analysis of our investment interest in Brenco. As a result of such assessment, we recorded an impairment loss on our investment of R$6.6 million as of July 1, 2009.

 

Commodity Futures Contracts

 

We enter into sales contracts for the future sale and physical delivery of our agricultural commodities to international import/export companies. Such contracts are primarily with respect to soybean, but also include sugarcane in connection with our exclusive supply agreement with Brenco. In the case of soybean, we may contract a fixed price for all or part of the volume to be delivered. The price is determined according to a contractual formula based on the soybean quotation at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). The price established in U.S. dollars is paid at the end of the commitment period, in reais, according to contractually defined exchange rates prevailing a few days before settlement. The terms of the agreements subject us to fines in the event that we fail to deliver the previously-committed volumes to the purchaser.

 

 36 

 

 

Material Agreements

 

Agrifirma

 

On November 22, 2019, we entered into a Merger Agreement with Agrifirma Holding. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, Agrifima Holding would be merged into us and we would receive all of its assets, rights and obligations, holding 100% of the equity capital of the subsidiary Agrifirma Agro Ltda. and its subsidiaries, in exchange for common shares and Agrifirma Warrants issued by BrasilAgro to the selling shareholders of Agrifirma Holding.

 

Agrifirma and its subsidiaries are engaged in the production, manufacture, storage and trading of agricultural products and the provision of agricultural services, as well as the management and commercial exploration of the properties that it owns. Since Agrifirma is engaged in operations in the same sector as BrasilAgro, we expect the following impacts immediately after the merger: operational, financial and commercial benefits, such as dilution of general and administrative expenses, capture of synergies and economies of scale in the operations and potential appreciation of undeveloped areas.

 

Agrifirma is comprised of its parent company (Agrifirma Agro Ltda.) and four subsidiaries, namely Agrifirma Bahia Agropecuária Ltda., I. A. Agro Ltda., GL Agropecuária Empreendimentos e Participações Ltda. and Agrifirma S.R.L.

 

The completion of the Merger was subject to certain requirements and conditions precedent, which were met on January 27, 2020, following which BrasilAgro obtained control of Agrifirma.

 

Based on the terms of the Merger Agreement, the consideration transferred in the form of shares was determined based on an initial exchange ratio (preliminary numbers), final exchange ratio (adjustment to exchange ratio) and adjustments due to indemnifications. The Merger Agreement also sets forth the minimum number of shares to be transferred at 5,392,872.

 

The parties agreed to define a first exchange ratio based on preliminary book values as of June 30, 2019, adjusted for the market value of the real state held by BrasilAgro and Agrifirma Holding, according to an appraisal report issued by a specialized third party. In addition, part of the consideration was agreed to be issued by us in the form of subscription warrants. As a result, the number of shares and warrants to be issued to the shareholders of Agrifirma was set at 5,215,385 shares and 654,487 warrants.

 

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, the initial exchange ratio was adjusted to reflect the changes in the assets described above on the preliminary balance sheet as of June 30, 2019 through the acquisition date, on January 27, 2020, which was the date of the consummation of the Merger Agreement.

 

On April 1, 2020, BrasilAgro notified the former shareholders of Agrifirma Holding that the final exchange ratio, based on the changes in net equity from June 30, 2019 to January 27, 2020, was determined and reached the minimum number established in the merger agreement, totaling 5,392,872 shares as the final consideration to be paid by Brasilagro.

 

The Merger Agreement also sets forth certain obligations for the payment of compensation by BrasilAgro and the selling shareholders of Agrifirma if certain contractually indemnifiable losses occur within two years from the date of the Merger Agreement.

 

On June 18, 2020, BrasilAgro and the selling shareholders of Agrifirma signed a settlement agreement, pursuant to which the final exchange ratio was agreed at the minimum number of shares, totaling 5,392,872 shares. The parties also agreed that, given the resolution of a contingency by the date of the settlement agreement, the selling shareholders of Agrifirma agreed to return the amount of R$3,500,000 in restricted shares and Agrifirma Warrants on January 27, 2022, which were calculated using the market price of Brasilagro’s average share price during the 90 days prior to the settlement date.

 

The unrestricted shares issued for the consideration transferred for the acquisition of control of Agrifirma are recognized in equity. The restricted shares, the Agrifirma Warrants and the Agrifirma Warrant dividends are recorded under “other liabilities” in the statement of financial position as their final amount may vary due to certain conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement and, for such reason, do not meet the definition of equity instrument in accordance with IAS 32 – Financial Instruments, and therefore are recognized as financial liabilities at fair value through profit or loss. The restricted shares are considered in the calculation of basic earnings per share, while the Agrifirma Warrants are considered potential common shares and as such included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share. See Note 1.1 to the financial statements included in this annual report.

 

Serra Grande Farm Acquisition and Partnership VII

 

In April 2020, we acquired the Serra Grande farm located in Baixa Grande do Ribeiro, in the State of Piauí. The acquisition consisted of an area of 4,489 hectares, 2,904 hectares of which are arable to be developed and are suitable for grains cultivation. The other 1,585 hectares are permanent preservation and legal reserve areas. The acquisition price was R$25.0 million, or R$8,600 per arable hectare. We made an initial payment of R$10.7 million and will make remaining payments in three equal annual installments.

 

 37 

 

 

In addition to the acquisition, the Company has an agricultural partnership in an area of 5,473 hectares of arable and developed land, already planted and operated by the Company during the 19/20 harvest (Partnership VII). This area is contiguous to the acquired area, has more than 5 years in average of production and high production potential. Partnership VII has a term up to 12 years, with a pre-fixed call option until 2024.

 

Partnership V (3SB Produtos Agrícolas S.A.)

 

On July 11, 2018, we entered into an agricultural rural partnership agreement with 3SB Produtos Agrícolas S.A. (“Brasilagro/3SB Partnership Agreement”), which was amended on August 28, 2018. The scope of 3SB Partnership Agreement involved a total of 11 rural properties, all located in the Municipality of São Felix do Araguaia, in the State of Mato Grosso, comprising a total agricultural area of 23,615 useful hectares. 3SB Produtos Agrícolas S.A. holds the rural properties under the Brasilagro/3SB Partnership Agreement by reason of rural lease agreements that it had previously entered into with the owners of such properties. For this reason, the term of the Brasilagro/3SB Partnership Agreement varies from property to property, according to the term of each rural lease agreement entered into with each the owners. On June 1, 2019, the total agricultural area of the Brasilagro/3SB Partnership Agreement was reduced by 3,242 useful hectares. On June 13, 2019, we entered into a new rural lease agreement with the owner of Fazenda Santa Luzia and Fazenda Jataí II (following the expiration of the rural lease agreements orignially entered into with 3SB Produtos Agrícolas S.A.). Considering both the Brasilagro/3SB Partnership Agreement and the agreements that we entered into with the owner of Fazenda Santa Luzia and Fazenda Jataí II, the total agricultural area currently occupied by us in São Felix do Araguaia, in the State of Mato Grosso, is 20,138 hectares.

 

Partnership IV (Agro Serra – Agro Pecuária e Industrial Serra Grande Ltda.)

 

On February 7, 2017, we entered into two agreements for an agricultural partnership in relation to a property in São Raimundo das Mangabeiras, state of Maranhão, or Partnership IV.

 

The first agreement under Partnership IV establishes an agricultural partnership with Agro Pecuária e Industrial Serra Grande Ltda. (“Serra Grande”), which consists of a sugarcane exploration agreement of an area of around 15,000 hectares. The agricultural partnership will last for 15 years from the date of the agreement and may be extended for the same period. The amount to be paid to Serra Grande corresponds to 10% of the entire production obtained in the area referred to in the agreement and the initial volume to be produced in the area during the first year of the agreement was established at 850,000 tons. After this period, spanning between one and five years, the minimum volume to be produced in the partnership areas is 4,500,000 tons of sugarcane, and from the sixth year onward until the expiration of the agreement, the minimum production volume is 1,250,000 tons of sugarcane per crop year.

 

The second agreement under Partnership IV governs the rights and obligations of the agricultural partners, through which BrasilAgro acquired sugarcane crops planted by the agricultural partner in the areas referred to in the partnership agreement described above. This agreement meets the definition of a finance lease. As consideration, BrasilAgro undertakes to return, at the end of the agreement, the area referred to in the partnership agreement together with sugarcane stubble crops with the capacity to produce 850,000 tons of sugarcane in the crop year subsequent to the termination of the agricultural partnership agreement.

 

Brenco – Companhia Brasileira de Energia Renovável

 

In March 2008, we signed two contracts for the exclusive supply to Brenco of the entirety of our sugarcane production over two full crop cycles (for sugarcane, one full crop cycle consists of six agricultural years and five harvests). They are expected to expire in 2020, but are renewable upon the agreement of the parties. One of the contracts refers to our cultivation from an area of approximately 5,718 hectares at our Araucária farm and the other refers to approximately 3,669 hectares at our Alto Taquari farm. The price per ton, for the purpose of these agreements, is determined based on Total Recoverable Sugar, or ATR, price per ton of sugarcane effectively delivered, with ATR corresponding to the quantity of sugar available in the raw material, minus sugar content lost during the production process, multiplied by the market prices of sugar and ethanol sold by regional plants in the internal and external market, in each case, as determined by the Counsel of Sugarcane, Sugar and Alcohol Producers in São Paulo (Conselho de Produtores de Cana, Açúcar e Álcool de São Paulo, or CONSECANA). For the year ended June 30, 2020, net revenue of our sugarcane production to Brenco was R$82.8 million, representing 16.9% of our total net revenue. The purpose of the contracts is not to secure a more favorable price than the market price, since we expect that the ATR price as determined by CONSECANA will be generally equivalent to the market price, but rather to secure the sale of our sugarcane production over the long term. We believe this gives us the predictability that makes it practicable for us to grow and commercialize sugarcane, given that sugarcane crops have a productive cycle lasting six years from the first harvest. However, Brenco is facing financial difficulties and may not comply with its contractual obligations.

 

On May 8, 2015, we executed three agreements with Brenco:

 

 38 

 

 

The first agreement consists of a rural sub partnership to operate nine farms located in the municipalities of Alto Araguaia and Alto Taquari, in the state of Mato Grosso. The sub partnership started at the date of its signature and is estimated to end on March 31, 2026. The areas are to be used for the plantation and cultivation of sugarcane, which cannot exceed the duration of the contract. This contractual partnership meets the definition of an operating lease. The payment must always be in kind (tons of sugarcane) and delivered at the mill owned by Brenco, which is located in the vicinity of the farms, during the harvest period of the product. The quantity to be paid for the duration of the contract shall be established in tons per hectare and varies according to the area being explored. According to this contract, the quantity to be paid in the long term corresponds to 529,975 tons of sugarcane, of which 174,929 tons will be paid within one to five years and 355,046 tons will be paid after more than five years up to the expiration of the agreement.

 

The second agreement relates to the regulation of rights and obligations between agricultural partners from whom BrasilAgro acquired the crops of sugarcane planted by Brenco in the properties subject to the sub partnership agreement described above. This contract meets the definition of a financial leasing. The payment must always be in kind (tons of sugarcane) and delivered at the mill owned by Brenco during the harvest period of the product. According to this contract, the quantity to be paid in the long term corresponds to 53,845 tons of sugarcane, of which 18,604 tons will be paid within one year and 35,241 tons will be paid within one to five years.

 

In the year ended June 30, 2020, we delivered a total of 840.6 million tons of sugarcane pursuant to the agreements described above.

 

The third agreement regulates the exclusive supply to Brenco of the total sugarcane production in the properties included in the sub partnership agreement for two crop cycles, one cycle shall be effective until the depletion of the already existing sugarcane crops and the other cycle consists of the sugarcane being planted by BrasilAgro.

 

In the year ended June 30, 2020 and as of the date hereof, Brenco has not defaulted on the payment of any receivable. However, we currently run the risk of default by Brenco, our main customer, associated with the fact that its controlling shareholder, Odebrecht S.A., is being investigated for corruption in the operation called “Lava Jato” (Car Wash) and the fact that Brenco filed for reorganization bankruptcy in Brazil (recuperação judicial) in May 2019. Odebrecht’s CEO has been arrested and the company has been facing the following issues: difficulties to access the credit market, decrease in its business activities, early maturity of debts, among others. Therefore, Brenco’ controlling shareholder has been cutting costs, which can adversely affect Brenco, its business and its ability to meet its payments due to us.

 

Cresca

 

On October 5, 2016, we entered into an agreement with Carlos Casado, our partner in Cresca at the time, pursuant to which we agreed to try to sell all the land that Cresca owned for a 120-day period as of the execution date of the aforementioned agreement. Further to the provisions of the agreement, we and Carlos Casado also agreed to split ownership of the land among us and Carlos Casado if either party failed to dispose of the totality of the land within the 120-day period.

 

As the properties were not sold to third-parties, on June 6 and June 8, 2017, we and Carlos Casado decided to proceed with the re-distribution of assets and liabilities of Cresca, whereby we would separate and divide the assets and liabilities of Cresca, and Cresca would distribute them to us and to Carlos Casado.

 

As a result of this transaction, we now have the following two subsidiaries that received Cresca’s assets and liabilities: (i) Palmeiras, which was incorporated to operate the activities of our investment in Cresca and (ii) Moroti, a subsidiary that has received, on February 9, 2018, upon conclusion of the process, all other assets and liabilities of Cresca attributed to BrasilAgro, including land and debts.

 

On February 9, 2018, the re-distribution of assets and liabilities of Cresca was concluded and the portion of assets and liabilities attributed to the Company was transferred to the wholly-owned subsidiary Moroti.

 

As part of the re-distribution of assets and liabilities, the Company and Carlos Casado, partners in the joint venture, decided to waive the interest for late payment on the intercompany loans taken by Cresca in the total amount of R$32.9 million, of which BrasilAgro’s share was R$16.6 million. See Note 1.6 to our financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020.

 

As of June 30, 2020, Moroti owned 59,585 hectares of which 34,673 were arable. During the planting season for our 2019/2020 crop year, we planted 6,286 hectares of soybean, 2,196 hectares of corn, 3,167 hectares of other grains and 3,064 hectares of pasture at the farm in Paraguay.

 

 39 

 

 

Raw Material Acquisition Risks

 

For the acquisition of farming inputs, our primary risks are foreign-exchange variations, the supply and demand of each input, farming commodity prices and freight prices. Our dependence on imported raw materials is also subject to supply and customs clearance delays. We are also subject to risks regarding the availability of the specific varieties of seeds we use, which are affected by weather conditions, among other factors.

 

In addition, the price of diesel fuel, which is the primary fuel used in farming machinery and trucks, is affected by the variation in oil prices as well as by the price-control policies adopted by the Brazilian government.

 

See “Item 3—Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Business and Industry” for information regarding the prohibition of the use of glyphosate and the freight rate schedule.

 

Customers

 

We currently sell a substantial portion of our total crop production to a small number of customers who have substantial bargaining power. In the year ended June 30, 2020, our three largest customers, Agro Serra, Brenco and Bunge, accounted for 60.0% of our total revenue. See “Item 3—Key Information—Risk Factors— Substantially all of our revenue is derived from a small number of customers, and we currently face a risk of default by our main customer.”

 

We did not and do not expect to renegotiate the terms of our agreements with our customers, such as extended payment terms or refund periods, or provide concessions or modify terms of arrangements and did not and do not expect to modify other contractual arrangements as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Competition

 

The agriculture industry is composed of widely traded commodities, where the prices are freely determined based on supply and demand. The supply side is characterized by a large number of producers, each contributing a small part of the total production and thus having minimal influence over commodity prices, which are generally determined by indexes or exchanges in international markets, as is the case with soybean, the price of which is largely determined by the CBOT. Agricultural commodity producers therefore compete largely based on their production costs, and their scale of production. At the domestic level, producers compete on similar conditions, whereas at the international level, competition is affected significantly by, among other factors, government policies such as subsidies to agricultural producers, which can be substantial in developed countries.

 

Land acquisition is subject to intense competition. In this case, we compete to acquire the most appropriate land for cultivating our agricultural products. We believe that this process has contributed to an increase in land prices over the years and that the strongest competition has been from the larger groups having in-depth knowledge of the sector, management excellence and continuous objectives to increase their agricultural area portfolio. We understand that these large groups are mainly SLC Participações, operating in four Brazilian states; and Terra Santa Agro. In addition, we may face significant competition from large international companies which have greater financial resources than we do.

 

Seasonality

 

Our principal products are subject to seasonality variations between the crop season and the off-season. The off-season occurs between the end of the harvest of a crop year and the beginning of the harvest of the following crop year. Such period occurs at different parts of the year depending on the agricultural product, as follows: (i) the off-season for grains in Brazil typically occurs between August and January; (ii) the off-season for sugarcane in Brazil typically occurs between December and March; and (iii) the off-season for cattle-raising in Brazil typically occurs between September and January. Because of the reduced supply of agricultural products during each product’s respective off-season, prices for such products are typically higher during that time.

 

Throughout the year, our working capital needs vary significantly depending on the harvest period of grains, sugarcane and other crops in Brazil. Changes in the harvest periods, resulting from unfavorable weather or financial restrictions on us, have a direct impact on our inventory levels, advances to producers, loans and sales volume during the year.

 

Insurance

 

Our businesses are generally subject to a number of risks and hazards, which could result in damage to individuals, or destruction of properties, facilities and equipment. As a general rule, we believe that our insurance coverage against risks that are typical in our business is adequate and consistent with the usual practices adopted by other companies operating in the same sector in Brazil. Nevertheless, we cannot ensure that the coverage set forth in our insurance policies will suffice for purposes of protecting us from all losses and damages that may occur.

 

 40 

 

 

We have a civil liability insurance policy that covers liability arising from compensation for damages caused to third parties in an amount of up to R$5 million. This policy is currently in force and will expire on November 19, 2020. We are negotiating with the insurance company to extend this policy.

 

We also have a business insurance policy (rural multi-risk) for storage structure (silo) and machinery located at our Chaparral farm located in Correntina, in the State of Bahia. This policy provides for different maximum indemnity coverage, depending on the insured event, such as lightning, explosion, electrical damages or windstorm. This policy is currently in force and will expire on April 2, 2021.

 

We have also a Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance policy, which covers the members of our board of directors, executive board, audit board or other body created by our bylaws or employees that hold a management position to which they have been elected or appointed, provided that such election or appointment has been ratified by competent bodies, as applicable, and that the indemnification shall always be subject to the limits provided in the respective insurance policy. Consultants, external auditors, shareholders, partners, interveners, depositaries or liquidators of the Company are not covered by this D&O insurance policy. This insurance policy covers civil liability up to R$20 million, and environmental damages up to R$20 million. This policy is currently in force and will expire on January 3, 2021.

 

We have an insurance policy that covers certain specific machinery (harvesters and planters), as well as the irrigation pivot system at our São José farm.

 

We also have an insurance policy that covers our headquarters office for fire, lighting and explosion events, as well as electric damage. This policy is currently in force and will expire on April 27, 2021.

 

Intellectual Property

 

In Brazil, title to a patent or trademark is obtained by means of the registration with the National Institute of Industrial Property (Instituto Nacional de Propriedade Industrial, or INPI). When such right is granted, the titleholder is ensured the exclusive use right thereof all over Brazil for a period of ten years, which may be renewed for successive equal periods indefinitely, as long as there is an interest in maintaining the trademark ownership.

 

Pursuant to the Brazilian legal framework, a trademark can be categorized as either a product, service, certification or collective mark. With regard to its presentation in local law, the trademarks can be nominative, mixed, figurative or three-dimensional. During the registration process, the depositor has an expectation of right to use the deposited trademarks, which he may avail himself from in order to identify its products or services until the registration process is ultimately concluded.

 

We have filed three trademark registration applications with the INPI for the trademark name (which corresponds to our current corporate name) “BrasilAgro – Companhia Brasileira de Propriedades Agrícolas” under Nos. 828045089, 828045097 and 828045100.

 

Registration No. 828045089 concerning intermediation, purchase, sale or lease of properties, land, buildings and real estate in rural and urban areas, intermediation in real estate transactions of any kind, as well as participation in other companies, in undertakings in Brazil and abroad was granted to us by the INPI on June 2, 2020 and will expire on June 2, 2026. Registration No. 828045097 concerning marketing, distribution, importation and export of agricultural and livestock products was granted to us by the INPI on June 5, 2012 and will expire on June 5, 2022. Registration No. 828045100 concerning products related to agriculture and livestock, such as agricultural products, vegetables, forestry, grains and animals, fruits, vegetables, seeds, plants and natural flowers and animal feed was granted to us by the INPI on September 20, 2016 and will expire on September 20, 2026.

 

We also have filed three trademark registration applications for the trademark name “BrasilAgro – Companhia Brasileira de Propriedades Agropecuárias,” under applications No. 827971575, 827971567 and 827971583. Registration No. 827971567 was approved on April 7, 2020 and will expire on April, 7, 2030. Reistration Nos. 827971575 and 827971583 were approved on June 14, 2011 and January 28, 2014, respectively, and will expire on June 14, 2021 and January 28, 2024, respectively.

 

In addition, we filed three trademark registration applications for the single name “BrasilAgro.” The first one, filed at INPI under No. 829541870 is a service trademark, refers to NCL (9) 35 - marketing, distribution, importation and export of agricultural and livestock products, was approved on November 1, 2011 and expires on November 1, 2021. The second one, filed under No. 829541853, refers to a product trademark, on NCL 31, involving products related to agriculture and livestock, such as agricultural products, vegetables, forestry, grains and animals, fruits, vegetables and fresh vegetables, seeds, plants and natural flowers, animal food and malt, was approved on September 20, 2016 and remains in force until September 20, 2026. Finally, the third trademark registration application for the name “BrasilAgro” had the analysis thereof postponed by means of a decision dated June 28, 2011 and is currently halted given that it is pending of evaluation of another prior trademark registration application by the INPI.

 

 41 

 

 

Following the Merger of Agrifirma, we also became the title owner of the following trademarks: (i) Registration No. 830154647, concerning the participation in other companies as a partner or shareholder, purchase and sale of real estate, and management of real estate, which was renewed as from February 8, 2021 and will expire on February 8, 2031; (ii) Registration No 830154566, concerning coffee and cotton processing services, which was registered on November 29, 2016 and will expire on November 29, 2026; (iii) Registration No 830154620, concerning harvesting services (agricultural services), services of advice, consultancy and information on research in the field of agriculture, which was renewed as from February 8, 2021 and will expire on February 8, 2031; (iv) Registration No. 830154663, concerning buying, selling, importing, exporting and commercialization of products related to agriculture, livestock and reforestation, such as coffee, cotton, soy, corn, firewood, cattle and their derivatives, such as meat and milk, which was registered on February 14, 2012 and will expire on February 8, 2031; and (v) Registration No. 830154582, concerning transport and storage services, which was renewed as from February 8, 2021 and will expire on February 8, 2031.

 

Risk Management

 

We analyze and monitor the various risks to which our business and operations are exposed. In addition to monitoring the specific factors that directly affect our agricultural production and business operations, we also monitor the risks derived from commodity price variations for our individual agricultural products, as well as foreign-exchange variations. Through our risk management policy coordinated among our Strategic Planning department, Risk Management Committee and board of directors, we hedge our exposure to commodity price risks for our transactions through over-the-counter instruments including options and futures contracts negotiated in the commodity market and maintain our exposures within pre-established limits.

 

Cash Management

 

To the extent we are unable or decide not to deploy our capital through agricultural property acquisitions or other investments, we maintain any uninvested cash and cash equivalents in an investment fund, which holds investments in fixed income securities in short-term, liquid investments (such as bank certificates of deposit, government securities and other cash-equivalents).

 

Regulation

 

In addition to the descriptions of regulatory matters set forth below, see the description of certain legal proceedings, including judicial and administrative proceedings relating to regulatory matters, set forth in “Item 8—Financial Information—Legal Proceedings.”

 

Environmental Regulation

 

The development of our agribusiness activities depends on a number of federal, state and municipal laws and regulations related to environmental protection. We may be subject to criminal and administrative penalties, besides being obligated to restore the environment and reimburse third parties for possible damages arising from non-compliance with such laws and regulations.

 

Administrative Liability

 

Administrative liability derives from an action or omission that results in violation of the standards of preservation, protection or restoration of the environment. Federal Decree No. 6,514 of July 22, 2008 establishes a set of sanctions that may be imposed as a result of breach of environmental regulation. Such sanctions include warning, fine, destruction of the product, suspension of activities, termination of tax benefits and credit lines granted by public institutions. Fines are determined based on the relevance and economic impact of the breach and can reach R$50.0 million. See “Item 3—Key Information—Risk Factors.”

 

Civil Liability

 

Under civil law, the offender is strictly liable for any environmental damage and subject to an objective standard of care, which creates liability regardless of negligence by the offender. Consequently, we are jointly liable with any third parties providing services for us to the extent their activities cause environmental damage. Environmental regulation also permits the regulator to recover damages from the controlling entity through the chain of share ownership if the direct offender is unable to pay the related damage.

 

Criminal Liability

 

Our officers, directors, employees and agents who engage in environmental crimes are subject to criminal sanctions, including fines, prison sentences and the imposition of community service requirements.

 

 42 

 

 

Environmental Licenses

 

Environmental licensing is required for activities utilizing environmental resources that are considered potentially pollutant, or those that may in any way cause environmental degradation. Some Brazilian states and Paraguay require licenses for agricultural and animal-raising activities.

 

The environmental licensing procedure includes authorizations to change land use, water use licenses, licenses for agriculture and livestock activities, etc. All of these licenses guarantee that activities are being carried out in compliance with environmental laws and their possible impacts are being mitigated or compensated.

 

For the Paraguay farm, we obtained licenses to change land use and licenses for agricultural and animal-raising activities for the remaining area.

 

For the Nova Buriti farm, we carry out environmental impact studies and present them as regulatory agencies to obtain that licenses. However, we are also considering alternative options, such as a conservation easement, apportionment of land for an environmental reserve area and compensation for a legal reserve area.

 

For the Preferência farm, we renew the authorization to change land use with the competent environmental agency.

  

Protected Areas

 

All rural properties in Brazil are required by law to maintain legal reserve areas. A legal reserve area is an area of each rural property where deforestation is not allowed and that is necessary for the sustainable use of natural resources, conservation and rehabilitation of ecological processes, conservation of biodiversity and shelter and protection for native fauna and flora. These areas are required in perpetuity and in some cases are recorded as such in the real estate registry.

 

It is mandatory to maintain as legal reserve at least 80% of an agricultural property located in Floresta biome within Amazonia Legal, 35% for an agricultural property in the savannah region within Amazonia Legal and 20% for an agricultural property located in other forms of native vegetation in other regions of Brazil. In Paraguay, it is mandatory to maintain as legal reserve at least 25% of all agricultural property with more than 20 hectares in forest regions and also a corridor of native vegetation of at least 100 meters for every 100 hectares of agricultural or livestock.

 

All of our properties have legal reserve areas, although a part thereof has legal reserves that are in the process of being recorded at the offices of the applicable government agency. Additionally, environmental laws protect other areas, such as permanent preservation areas.

 

Permanent preservation areas are spaces, in both public domain and private domain, where the exercise of property rights has been limited. Permanent preservation areas include the margins of any water streams, the surroundings of headwaters and of natural water reservoirs, as well as lands inclined more than 45º. It will only be possible to modify these areas through previous authorization by the competent state environmental body.

 

In addition to these areas, there are also areas for environmental compensation, and ecological corridors, which safeguard interconnection of fragments of vegetation, ensuring protection of local biodiversity. Protected areas may not be suppressed, and may be used only under a regime of sustainable forest stewardship in accordance with technical and scientific criteria set forth in applicable regulations.

 

As of June 30, 2020, 68,129 hectares, or approximately 32% of the total area of our properties, consist of protected areas.

 

Rural Environmental Register (CAR)

 

In Brazil, all rural properties are required by law (Law No. 12.651/12 and Decrees Nos. 7.830/2012 and 8.235/2014) to register with the rural environmental register (CAR). This electronic registration integrates environmental information regarding the property, deforestation control, the monitoring and combating of forests and other forms of native vegetation, as well as environmental and economic planning of rural properties. The CAR gathers environmental information for each property regarding the situation of permanent preservation areas, legal reserve areas, forests and remnants of native vegetation, restricted use areas, consolidated areas, etc.

 

This register requires the rural proprietary to regularize their environmental situation. It is a requirement to have access to credit, however, sanctions are not imposed for those who are not registered with CAR.

 

 43 

 

 

All of our owned properties are registered or in the process of being registered with CAR.

 

Ownership of Agricultural Land in Brazil by Foreigners

 

On August 23, 2010, opinion No. LA-01, of August 19, 2010, issued by the Federal Attorney General (AGU) was approved by the President of Brazil. The opinion addresses the purchase and lease of agricultural properties by Brazilian companies controlled by foreign individuals or legal entities holding the control of the capital stock of a company that owns land in Brazil. The Federal Attorney General’s opinion provides that Brazilian companies controlled by non-Brazilians require prior authorization to purchase agricultural properties and are subject to restrictions, including the following:

 

  i. the agricultural properties shall be used for agricultural, cattle raising or industrial activities, and shall be previously approved by the Ministry of Agrarian Development or by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade;

 

  ii. the total area of agricultural properties owned by foreigners shall not exceed the greater of (A) one fourth of the area of the municipality where the property is located; or (B) the sum of the areas held by foreigners of the same nationality shall not exceed 40% of the area of the municipality where the property is located; and

 

  iii. the acquisition shall not exceed 100 indefinite exploration modules, which are measurement units defined by INCRA. The MEI, which are measurement units adopted by INCRA, is subject to alterations by INCRA in case of changes in the economic conditions of a given region. Currently the size of the MEI range from five to 100 hectares, depending on the region.

 

New acquisitions or new lease agreements of agricultural properties by companies controlled by non-Brazilians within the above-mentioned limits must be previously approved by INCRA. The request for the approval must be filed at the Regional Branch of INCRA (Superintendência Regional) of the State where the property is located. After that, INCRA will analyze the compliance with the above-mentioned requirements and if the transaction is approved by INCRA, it will issue a certificate of approval. The purchase and lease of agricultural properties beyond the limits of areas and percentages mentioned above require prior authorization from the Brazilian Congress.

  

In both cases, it is not possible to determine an estimated time frame for the approval procedure, since up to the date of the issuance hereof, there is no report involving the issuance of such a certificate. Moreover, for the time being, Brazilian courts have not yet ruled on the effectiveness and constitutionality of the contents of the aforementioned Attorney General’s Opinion.

 

As of June 30, 2020, approximately 58.44% of our common shares were held by foreigners.

 

On December 11, 2012, São Paulo’s General Comptroller of Justice (Corregedoria Geral de Justiça do Estado de São Paulo) issued Opinion No. 461/2012-E, establishing that entities providing notary and registrar services located in the State of São Paulo are exempt from observing certain restrictions and requirements imposed by Brazilian Federal Law No. 5,709/71 and Decree No. 74,965/74, regarding Brazilian companies with the majority of the capital stock comprised by foreigners residing outside of Brazil or legal entities incorporated abroad. In April 2013, the Regional Federal Court for the Third Region (Tribunal Regional Federal da 3ª Região – TRF) granted an injunction in the context of a claim brought by INCRA and the Federal Government against São Paulo’s General Comptroller of Justice Opinion No. 461/2012-E, suspending the effects of such opinion. In August 2013, the Regional Federal Court of the Third Region acknowledged its lack of jurisdiction to rule on such claim and sent the court records of the case to São Paulo State Appeals Court (Tribunal de Justiça do Estado de São Paulo). As a consequence of such decision, the injunction granted by the Regional Federal Court of the Third Region was set aside, and both INCRA and the Federal Government had declined on the claim. Since then, entities providing notary and registry services located in the State of São Paulo are, over again, exempt from observing certain restrictions and requirements imposed by Law No. 5,709/71 and Decree No. 74,965/74.

 

On June 25, 2014, the AGU and INCRA filed a suit with the Supreme Court (STF) against the State of São Paulo due to the decision ruled by São Paulo State Appeals Court which judged the Opinion 1 issued by AGU in 2010, unconstitutional. In this suit the stay of the preliminary order was required and, in the end, the definite annulment of Opinion 461-12-E of the Inspector General Office of São Paulo, issued on December 3, 2012. On August 7, 2014, the decision issued by Supreme Court Justice Marco Aurélio Mello, rapporteur of the process, was published, denying the injunction requested by AGU and INCRA, on the basis that the fact that more than one year and 7 months elapsed since from the issuance of the opinion of the Inspector General Office of São Paulo and the filing of the suit with STF, showing that there was no urgency in the analysis of the injunction request. In September 2016, Supreme Court Justice Marco Aurélio Mello suspended the effects of said decision issued by the São Paulo Justice Court that considered that the Opinion issued by the AGU in 2010 as unconstitutional.

 

 44 

 

 

In addition, on April 16, 2015, the Brazilian Rural Society filed a claim for the acknowledgment of non-compliance with basic principles (ADPF) under certain provisions of the Brazilian Constitution with the Supreme Court in order to (i) declare that the paragraph 1 of article 1 of Law No. 5,709/1971 was not received by the 1988 Federal Constitution and (ii) reverse the opinion of the Federal Attorney General of 2010 (Opinion No. LA-01).

 

As of the date hereof, we are not able to provide an estimate of the timeframe for a final judgment in any of these lawsuits to be ruled by the STF.

 

C.Organizational Structure

 

The chart below illustrates our corporate structure os of September 30, 2020. All of our subsidiaries are incorporated in Brazil and Paraguay.

   

 

(1) A portion of our common shares held by Cresud are deposited with The Bank of New York Mellon in the form of ADRs (American Depositary Receipts). Includes shares held by Agro Managers, which is organized under the laws of Argentina and controlled by Cresud’s controlling shareholder (Mr. Eduardo Elsztain) and Cresud, respectively.
(2) Autonomy Master Fund Limited is controlled by Autonomy Capital (Jersey) LP, and both entities are part of the group that employs Mr. Bruno Magalhães, a member of our board of directors. Certain of the shares held by Autonomy Master Fund Limited are held as hedge for total return swap transactions entered into between Credit Suisse Securities (Europe) Limited and Autonomy Master Fund Limited. The swap transactions mature on September 27, 2021.
(3) Consolidated position of the funds managed by Charles River Capital.
(4) Cape Town LLC is controlled by Mr. Elie Horn.
(5) Other than Mr. Eduardo Elsztain.
(6) On February 9, 2018, the re-distribution of assets and liabilities of Cresca was concluded, and the portion of assets and liabilities held by us was transferred to our wholly-owned subsidiary Moroti.

 

D.Property, Plants and Equipment

 

See “—History and Development of the Company—Overview,” “—Business Overview—Agricultural Activities and Products,” “—Business Overview—Leases,” “—Business Overview—Investment Properties,” “—Business Overview—Agricultural Properties,” “—Business Overview— Environmental Regulation” and “—Business Overview—Environmental Licenses.”

 

 45 

 

 

ITEM 4A—UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

 

There are no unresolved staff comments as of the date of this annual report.

 

ITEM 5—OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS

 

You should read the following discussion in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this report. Our audited annual consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS as issued by IASB.

 

The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, in particular with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic and related effects on our historical and future results of operations and financial condition. See “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Item 3. Key Information—Risk Factors.”

 

A. Operating Results

 

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

 

In December 2019, COVID-19 surfaced in Wuhan, China. The outbreak was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. The speed and extent of the spread of COVID-19, and the duration and intensity of resulting business disruption and related financial and social impact are uncertain, and such adverse effects may be material to our business and operations.

 

In March 2020, we developed and implemented a plan comprised of certain measures to protect the health of our employees, prevent the spread of COVID-19 at our facilities and mitigate its effects on our operations. These measures included:

 

the creation of a Prevention and Risk Committee to assess the overall situation, propose and revise preventive measures and actions to minimize risks, and coordinate the implementation of action plans;

 

the adoption of a remote work policy for employees who are in certain risk groups or who work at our corporate headquarters in São Paulo;

 

the implementation of certain measures and protocols to protect the safety of all persons involved in our operations, pursuant to the guidelines of the Brazilian Ministry of Health (Ministério da Saúde); and

 

the adoption of contingency plans to prevent disruption in our operations.

 

All of our employees have been able to access all of our systems and company work tools remotely. The remote work arrangements that we adopted did not affect our ability to maintain our operations, including financial reporting systems, internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures.

 

Our operations in Brazil and Paraguay continued normally and, to date, we have not had had any material impact on our business and operations arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are no recent comparable events that may guide us as to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we cannot anticipate the final effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and operations until the COVID-19 pandemic is resolved.

 

See “Item 4—Information on the Company—Business Overview—Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” for additional information concerning the COVID 19 pandemic. See also “Item 3—Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Business and Industry—We may be exposed to risks related to health epidemics and pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations” and “—Risks Relating to Brazil—The measures taken or to be implemented by the Brazilian government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic may have an adverse effect on our business and operations.”

 

Business Drivers and Measures

 

Brazilian Macroeconomic Environment

 

Our financial condition and results of operations are influenced by the Brazilian economic environment.

 

Brazilian GDP decreased 3.6 % in 2016, increased 1.0% in 2017, increased 1.1% in 2018, increased 1.1% in 2019 and decreased 5.9% in the first six months of 2020. Inflation, as measured by the Broad Consumer Price Index (Índice de Preços ao Consumidor Amplo), or IPCA, published by IBGE, was 6.28%, 2.95%, 3.75% and 4.31% per year in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, and 0.1% in the first six months of 2020. The U.S. dollar depreciated 16.5% against the real in 2016, 1.5% in 2017, 17.1% in 2018 and 0.6% in 2019. In the six months ended June 30, 2020, the U.S. dollar appreciated 26.4% against the real. Unemployment in Brazil increased from 6.8% in January 2014 to 13.3% in June 2020. International reserves held by the Central Bank of Brazil decreased from US$376.7 billion as of September 30, 2016 to US$356.6 billion as of September 30, 2020.

 

 46 

 

 

In September 2015, Standard & Poor’s started to review the sovereign credit risk rating of Brazil, and downgraded it to a grade below the investment grade and, since then Brazil had been successively downgraded by the three major credit rating agencies worldwide. After the downgrading on September 30, 2015, Standard & Poor’s once more reduced the credit risk rating of Brazil from BB+ to BB and, more recently, on January 11, 2018, it downgraded the sovereign credit risk rating of Brazil from BB to BB- with stable outlook, citing the delay in the approval of tax measures intended to rebalance the government budget. In February 2016, Moody’s downgraded the credit risk rating of Brazil to a grade below the investment grade, to Ba2, with negative outlook, which in April 2018 changed to a stable outlook. In February 2018, Fitch downgraded the sovereign credit risk rating of Brazil to BB negative, which was reaffirmed in August 2018, with a stable outlook, citing structural weaknesses in public finance, high government indebtedness, a poor growth outlook, political environment and issues related to corruption.

 

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted economic activity and markets around the world, and its severity, magnitude and duration are highly uncertain, rapidly changing and difficult to predict. Actual and potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy, the economies of certain countries and certain companies has led ratings agencies to review and downgrade the credit ratings of sovereigns and issuers of securities around the world. In May 2020, Fitch downgraded the sovereign credit rating of Brazil to BB- with negative outlook, citing the deterioration of the Brazilian economic environment as a result of political instability and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A potential further downgrade of the ratings of Brazil, our ratings, or those of our debt securities could result in increased interest and other financial expenses related to our borrowings and debt securities and could reduce our liquidity and ability to obtain additional financing under desired terms and conditions.

 

Other Factors Affecting our Business

 

Market price variations for commodities: our principal products are subject to changes in commodities prices, including those of indexes such as the Intercontinental Exchange and the CBOT, exchange rates, as well as other indexes linked to our debts. Commodity prices are generally influenced by international, domestic and local supply and demand, which are in turn influenced by climactic and weather conditions, technology, and economic, commercial and political conditions, as well as exchange rates and transportation costs. For more information, see “Item 3—Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Business and Industry—Fluctuation in market prices for our agricultural products could adversely affect us” and “— Qualitative Evaluation of Market Risks.”

 

Foreign exchange: a portion of our income (loss) is linked to the exchange rate between the real and the U.S. dollar, and consequently our revenue is sensitive to foreign exchange fluctuations. Certain of our commodities, such as soybean, may be priced in reais or in U.S. dollars. In addition, certain of the raw materials necessary for farming activities, such as chemicals, pesticides and fertilizers, are priced in or based on the U.S. dollar. See “Item 3—Key Information—Exchange Rates.”

 

Inflation: inflation does not directly affect our revenue because our products are commodities whose prices are determined by reference to international commodity exchanges. Nevertheless, our labor and other operating costs are affected by inflation which directly affects our results of operations.

 

The table below sets forth certain market indices that affect our operating and financial results:

 

   Year Ended June 30,    
   2020   2019   2018   Source
Soybean Price (Paranaguá)  (R$/bag)    
Closing   115.32    81.80    86.54   Bloomberg
Exchange rate  (R$ per US$ 1.00)    
Beginning   3.82    3.90    3.30   Bloomberg
Closing   5.48    3.83    3.85   Bloomberg
Average   4.47    3.86    3.34   Bloomberg
ATR (R$/Kg of ATR)(1)   0.68    0.62    0.57   http://www.udop.com.br
Closing IGP-M (%)(2)   7.31%   6.51%   6.92%  Bloomberg
IPCA(3)   2.13%   3.37%   4.39%  Bloomberg
CDI(4)   4.59%   6.32%   7.35%  B3
NPK(5) (R$/ton)   1,362.73    1,150.28    1,248.62   Bloomberg

 

 47 

 

 

(1)ATR corresponds to the quantity of sugar available in the raw material subtracted from the losses in the industrial process.
(2)IGP-M is published monthly by FGV.
(3)IPCA is published monthly by IBGE.
(4)The CDI rate is the average of the rates of inter-bank deposits charged during the day in Brazil (accumulated in the period).
(5)NPK is the chemical compound of farming fertilizers made up of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium combined at a ratio of 2:20:20.

 

Principal Components of Our Statement of Operations

 

Revenue

 

Our operating revenue is derived mainly from the sale of (i) grains (comprised of soybean, corn, bean, cotton and sorghum); (ii) sugarcane; (iii) cattle and (iv) other farming products.

  

Taxes on sales

 

Taxes on sales vary depending on the product and the market, as follows:

 

Tax   Direct Export   Sale to Importer/Exporter   Domestic market
ICMS   Not levied   Not levied   Levied
PIS   Not levied   Not levied   Levied
COFINS   Not levied   Not levied   Levied
FUNRURAL   Not levied   Levied   Levied
FETHAB   Not levied   Levied   Levied

 

Below is a description of the principal taxes on sales of our products:

 

ICMS (Value-Added Tax on Sales and Services): ICMS is a state tax levied on the price of a product at an average rate of 18% for transactions within a state and 7% to 12% for transactions across states. ICMS payments are not applicable to exports of goods and services.

 

Federal Social Integration Program (Programa de Integração Social, or PIS) and Social Security Financing Contribution (Contribuição para o Financiamento da Seguridade Social, or COFINS): PIS and COFINS tax payments, levied at (i) 0.65% and 3.0% of gross revenue, respectively (cumulative) or (ii) 1.65% and 7.6%, respectively, after certain deductions (non-cumulative), depending on the business conducted and the nature of revenue earned, among other factors. PIS and COFINS payments are not applicable to exports of goods and services, or sales to import/export companies located in Brazil. Since we sell the entirety of our soybean production to such companies, such activities are not subject to PIS or COFINS payments. Brazilian law also exempts PIS and COFINS payments upon the sale of sugarcane used for the production of ethanol or biofuel, sale of maize to rural producers and manufacturers of animal feed and food and the sale of cattle.

 

Rural Workers Assistance Fund (Fundo do Produtor Rural, or FUNRURAL): Agricultural producers are subject to a tax of 2.3% to 2.85%, levied on total output sold. The FUNRURAL tax is not payable on exports of goods and services, but applies on direct sales to import/export companies located in Brazil.

 

State Fund for Transport and Housing (Fundo Estadual de Transporte e Habitação, or FETHAB) is a contribution per ton of products (soybean, corn, beans) sold in the State of Mato Grosso, as follows: R$32.41 per ton of soybean, R$9.19 per ton of corn and R$7.35 per ton of beans.

 

Gain (loss) on sale of farms

 

Upon the sale of investment property, such as our farms, we recognize in the statement of operations a gain (loss) for the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying amount of the property sold. We account for our investment properties at cost.

  

Changes in fair value of biological assets

 

Our biological assets consist mainly of the cultivation of soybean, corn, cotton, bean, sorghum, sugarcane and cattle raising (see livestock), which are measured at fair value less cost to sell.

 

 48 

 

 

The fair value of biological assets is determined upon their initial recognition and at each subsequent balance sheet date. Gains and losses arising from the changes in fair value of biological assets is determined as the difference between fair value and the costs incurred in the plantation and treatment of crops of biological assets at the balance sheet date, and are recorded in the statement of operations in “Changes in fair value of biological assets.” In certain circumstances, the estimated fair value less cost to sell approximate cost incurred at that moment, especially when only a minor biological transformation has taken place or when no material impact is expected from that biological transformation on the price. Biological assets continue to be recorded at their fair value.

 

The sugarcane crop productive cycle is five years on average, and for a new cycle to start depends on the completion of the previous cycle. In this regard, the current cycle is classified as biological asset in current assets, and the amount of the constitution of the bearer plant (bearer of the other cycles) are classified as permanent culture in property, plant and equipment. The calculation to estimate the value of the biological asset “sugarcane” was the discounted cash flow at a rate reflecting the risks and the terms of the operation. As a result, we projected the future cash flows in accordance with the projected productivity cycle, taking into consideration the estimated useful life of each area, the prices of total sugar recoverable, estimated productivity and the related estimated costs of production, including the cost of land, harvest, loading and transportation for each hectare planted. The soybean, corn and sorghum are temporary cultures, in which the agricultural product is harvested after a period of time spanning from 110 to 180 days after the planting date, depending on the cultivation, variety, geographic location and climate conditions. The calculation methodology used to estimate the value of the grains was the discounted cash flows at a rate reflecting the risk and terms of operations. As a result, we projected the future cash flows taking into consideration the estimated productivity, costs to be incurred based on the Company’s budget or on new internal estimates and market prices. The commodities’ prices available in futures markets, were obtained from quotes on the following boards of trade: CBOT (“Chicago Board of Trade”), the B3, and NYBOT (“New York Board of Trade”). For the agricultural products not quoted in these markets, we used the prices obtained through direct market surveys or disclosed by specialized companies. We considered the related logistic expenses and tax discounts in order to arrive at the prices of each of these products in each production unit of the Company.

 

As mentioned above, the fair value of the biological assets disclosed in the balance sheet was determined using valuation techniques – the discounted cash flows method. The data used in these methods is based on the information observed in the market, whenever possible, and if unavailable, a certain level of judgment is required to establish such fair value. Judgment is used the data to be used, e.g. price, productivity and production cost. Changes in the assumptions on these inputs might affect the fair value of biological assets.

 

Livestock

 

In 2016 the we began cattle raising operations, which typically consists of producing and selling beef calves after weaning, which characterizes the activity as breeding.

 

For segregation purposes, when applicable, the Company classifies its cattle herd into: beef cattle (current assets), which can be sold as a biological asset for meat production; and dairy cattle (non-current assets), which is used in farm operations to generate other biological assets. Up to the reporting date the Company only had beef cattle, which includes calves, heifers, cows and bulls.

 

The fair value of beef cattle is determined based on market prices, given the existence of an active market. Gain or loss from changes in the fair value of beef cattle is recognized in profit or loss for the period. The Company considered the prices in the cattle market in Bahia state and the metrics used in the market. Accordingly, beef and dairy cattle are measured based on arroba and the age bracket of animals.

 

Adjustment to net realizable value of agricultural products after harvest

 

Agricultural products from biological assets are measured at fair value when they are ready to be harvested, less selling expenses, when they are reclassified from biological assets to inventories.

 

A provision for adjustment of agricultural products to net realizable value is recognized when the fair value recorded in inventories is higher than the net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less estimated costs to sell. Adjustments to net realizable value are recognized in the statement of operations in “Adjustment of net realizable value of agricultural products after harvest.”

 

 49 

 

 

Cost of sales

 

Cost of sales for sugarcane and grains includes: (i) the historical cost of the inventories including costs of raw materials such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, fuels and lubricants, as well as labor, maintenance of machines and agricultural equipment, depreciation and amortization and (ii) the difference between such historical cost and the fair value of the grains and sugarcane at the time of harvest.

 

Operating expenses

 

  Selling expenses: selling expenses refer mainly to shipping, storage, commissions, classification of products and other related expenses.

 

  General and administrative expenses: general and administrative expenses refer mainly to personnel, legal counsel, depreciation and amortization, lease payments and expenses related to our headquarters.

 

Financial income and expenses

 

Financial income and expenses consist mainly of interest from financial investments, foreign exchange variations, monetary variations, interest on financial assets and liabilities and realized and unrealized gains (losses) with derivative financial instruments.

 

Income and social contribution-current and deferred taxes

 

Current and deferred income and social contribution taxes refer to taxes on net profits. We and our subsidiaries Jaborandi Agrícola Ltda., Agrifirma Bahia Agropecuária Ltda., I.A. Agro Ltda., GL Empreendimentos e Participações Ltda. and Agrifirma Brasil Agropecuária S.A. assess such taxes under the taxable income regime, with a maximum rate of 34%, consisting of: (i) income tax, at a rate of 15% of profits; (ii) income tax surcharge of 10% levied upon profits exceeding R$240,000 per year; (iii) social contribution tax on net profit, at a rate of 9%; and (iv) deferred income and social contribution taxes.

 

Our other subsidiaries assess such taxes under the presumed profit regime under which the tax base is computed as a percentage of revenue. This consists of income and social contribution taxes at a rate of 15% (plus a 10% surcharge for amounts exceeding R$240,000 per year) and 9%, respectively, levied on (i) 8% and 12%, respectively, of property sales; (ii) 32% of leases and services; and (iii) other revenue and capital gains.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with IFRS. We summarize our significant accounting policies, judgments and estimates in note 2 to our audited consolidated financial statements.

 

The critical accounting policies described herein are important to the presentation of our financial condition and results of operations, requiring the most difficult, subjective and complex judgments by our management, often as a result of the need to make estimates and assumptions about matters that are inherently uncertain. While preparing our financial statements, our management uses estimates and assumptions to record assets, liabilities and transactions. Our financial statements include different subjective and complex estimates regarding, among others, accounting for revenue recognition for grains and farm sales and related accounts receivable, determining the fair value of derivatives, biological assets and accounting for investments in investment properties, warrant, residual value and useful life of property, plant and equipment, deferred taxes, share base payment and legal claims. In order to provide a better understanding of how our management makes its judgments about future events, including the variables and assumptions underlying such estimates, we have identified the following critical accounting policies.

 

Fair value of biological assets

 

The fair value of biological assets is determined using valuation techniques, including the discounted cash flows method. The inputs for estimates are based on market information, whenever possible, and when such inputs are not available, a certain level of judgment is required to estimate the fair value. Judgment involves, for example, price, productivity, crop cost and production cost. Changes in the assumptions involving any of these factors may affect the fair value calculations of biological assets.

 

With regard to cattle, the Company values its breeding stock at fair value based on market price for the region.

 

 50 

 

 

Residual amount and useful life of property, plant and equipment and investment properties

 

The residual amount and useful life of assets are assessed and adjusted when necessary at the end of each reporting period. The carrying amount of the asset is immediately reduced to its recoverable value if the carrying amount is estimated to exceed the recoverable value.

 

Legal claims

 

We are party to judicial and administrative lawsuits, as described in Item 8-Financial Information-Legal Proceedings. Provisions are recorded for contingencies related to judicial lawsuits that are estimated to represent probable losses (present obligations resulting from past events where an outflow of resources is probable and can be reliably estimated). The evaluation of the probability of loss includes the opinion of external legal advisors. Management believes that these contingencies are properly recorded and presented in the financial statements.

 

Revenue from contracts with customers

 

We recognize our revenue in an amount that reflects the Company’s expected consideration in exchange for the transfer of good or services to a customer when all performance obligations have been fulfilled.

 

Sale of goods

 

Our revenue from grain and sugarcane sales is recognized when performance obligations are met, which consists of transferring the significant risks and benefits of ownership of the goods are transferred to the purchaser, usually when the products are delivered to the purchaser at the determined location, according to the agreed sales terms.

 

In the case of grains, we normally perform forward contracts where the price is set up by us for the total or partial volume of grains to be sold at the delivery date, based on the calculations agreed on the selling contracts. Certain selling contracts are established in U.S. dollars where the amount in reais is also established based on the foreign exchange rate according to the sale terms. The price can also be adjusted by other factors, such as humidity and other technical characteristics of grains. Upon the grains delivery, the revenue is recognized based on the price established with each purchaser considering the foreign exchange rate on the delivery date. After the grains are delivered to the addressee, the quality and final weight are evaluated, thus determining the final price of the transaction, and adjusting the contractual amounts in accordance with such factors as well as by the foreign exchange rate variation up to the settlement date.

 

As for the sale of sugarcane, the Company generally enters into sales contracts for future delivery where data such as volume and minimum ATR are pre-fixed. The price of sugarcane takes into account the amount of ATR per ton of sugar cane delivered, and the value of the ATR, released monthly by CONSECANA.

 

Sale of farms

 

Sales of farms are not recognized until the performance obligation is met, which happens when: (i) control of the asset has been transferred; (ii) the Company has determined that it is probable the sale price will be collected; and (iii) the amount of revenue can be reliably measured. Usually these are met when the buyer makes the first down payment, and transfer of possession of the asset is completed, according to the contractual terms. The result from sales of farms is presented in the statement of operations as “Gain on sale of farm” at net value of the related cost.

 

Revenue from cattle raising

 

Revenue from the sale of beef cattle is recognized when the related performance obligations are met, which consists of transferring control of the cattle to the buyer, usually when the cattle is delivered to the buyer at a specific place, in accordance with the contractual terms.

 

The beef cattle raising business consists of the production and sale of beef calves after weaning (rearing process). Some animals that prove to be infertile may be sold to meat packers for slaughtering. At the Paraguay operations, the business consists of growing and selling these animals for slaughtering. The price for the sale of cattle is based on the market price of the arroba of fed cattle in the respective market on the transaction date, the animal weight, plus the premium related to the category. The sale of cattle in Brazil and Paraguay operations, in turn, considers the price of the arroba of fed cattle or heifer/cow on the date of sale in the respective market, applied to carcass yields.

 

 51 

 

 

Revenue from leasing of land

 

The revenues from operating lease of land are recognized on a straight-line basis over the leasing period. When the lease price is defined in quantities of agricultural products or livestock, the lease amount is recognized considering the price of the agricultural product or livestock effective at the balance sheet date or at the date established in contract. The amounts received in advance as leasing, where applicable, are recognized in current liabilities. Leasing revenues in which a significant portion of the risks and benefits of ownership are retained by the lessor are classified as operating leases.

 

Investment properties

 

The land of rural properties purchased by us is measured at acquisition cost, which does not exceed its net realizable value and is presented in “Non-current assets.” The fair value of the investment properties are obtained through valuation reports of the farms prepared by internal experts. The valuation is carried out according to market practices. Certain factors such as location, type of soil, climate of the region, calculation of the improvements, presentation of the elements and calculation of the land value are all taken into account during the valuation process.

 

Deferred income and social contribution taxes

 

Deferred income and social contribution taxes are calculated to take into account all tax timing differences as follows: (1) income or expenses which are not yet taxable or deductible, such as gain on fair value of biological assets and provisions for contingencies, respectively; and (2) tax loss carryforwards, which have no expiration, when realization or recovery in future periods is considered probable.

 

Deferred tax assets are generated under the taxable income regime only, based on our business plan. The business plan includes consideration of a variety of factors including the 30% annual limitation for utilizing tax loss carryforwards and changes in the Brazilian economic conditions. We evaluate whether a valuation allowance is required for these assets and deferred tax assets are recognized only to the extent that is probable that the temporary differences will reverse in the foreseeable future and taxable profit will be available against which the temporary differences can be utilized, otherwise a valuation allowance is recorded. We also include in our evaluation the limitation of utilizing up to only 30% of annual taxable income in connection with recognition of tax loss carryforwards.

 

Fair value of financial instruments

 

When the fair value of the financial assets and liabilities presented in the balance sheet cannot be obtained in the active market, it is determined using valuation techniques, including the discounted cash flow method. The data for such methods is based on those practiced in the market, when possible; however, when it is not viable, a certain level of judgment is required to establish the fair value. The judgment includes considerations on the data used, such as liquidity risk, credit risk, and volatility. Changes in the assumptions about these factors may affect the presented fair value of financial instruments.

 

Transactions with share-based payment

 

We measure the cost of transactions to be settled with shares with employees based on the fair value of equity instruments on the grant date. The estimate of the fair value of share-based payments requires the determination of the most adequate pricing model to grant equity instruments, which depends on the grant terms and conditions. It also requires the determination of the most adequate data for the pricing model, including the expected option life, volatility and dividend yield, and the corresponding assumptions.

 

Leases

 

We account for lease agreements in accordance with the requirements of IFRS 16 – Leases and recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for the lease operations under agreements that meet the requirements of the accounting standard. In order to measure lease liabilities, our management considers only the minimum fixed lease payments. The measurement of lease liabilities corresponds to the total future payments of leases and rentals, adjusted to present value, considering the incremental borrowing rate.

 

New standards, amendments and interpretations of standards

 

New or amended pronouncements applied for the first time in the current fiscal year

 

We applied for the first time the standards IFRS 16 – Leases and IFRIC 23 – Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments at the beginning of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020, i.e., July 1, 2019. We have not adopted any other standard, interpretation or amendment early that has been issued but is not yet effective. The nature and effect of the changes as a result of the adoption of these new accounting standards are described below.

 

 52 

 

 

Since our fiscal year begins on July 1, the standards that were effective on January 1, 2019 were initially adopted by us at the beginning of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020, i.e., July 1, 2019.

 

IFRS 16 – Leases

 

IFRS 16 superseded IAS 17 – Leases, IFRIC 4 – Determining whether an Arrangement contains a Lease, SIC-15 – Operating Leases—Incentives and SIC-27 – Evaluating the Substance of Transactions Involving the Legal Form of a Lease. The IFRS 16 standard sets out the principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases and requires lessees to recognize most leases on the balance sheet.

 

Lessor accounting under IFRS 16 is substantially unchanged from IAS 17. Lessors will continue to classify leases as either operating or finance leases using similar principles as in IAS 17. Therefore, IFRS 16 does not have an impact for leases where the Company is the lessor.

 

The Company adopted IFRS 16 using the modified restrospective method, with the date of initial application of July 1, 2019.

 

The standard had significant impacts on the financial statements, since, according to the new principles introduced by IFRS 16, the Company recognized lease liabilities and right-of-use assets on the date of initial application for leases previously classified as operating leases. The Company’s main contracts are related to agricultural partnership operations and land lease, in addition to other less relevant contracts that involve the lease of machinery, vehicles and properties. See Note 13 to our financial statements.

 

The Company elected to use the transition practical expedient to not reassess whether a contract is, or contains, a lease at July 1, 2019. Instead, the Company applied the standard only to contracts that were previously identified as leases applying IAS 17 and IFRIC 4 at the date of initial application. The Company also elected to use the recognition exemptions for lease contracts that, at the commencement date, have a lease term of 12 months or less and do not contain a purchase option (short-term leases), and lease contracts for which the underlying asset is of low value (low-value assets).

The right-of-use of the asset was measured at the amount equivalent to the lease liability, adjusted by the amount of any payments made in advance or accumulated related to these leases that were recognized in the balance sheet immediately prior to the initial adoption of the standard. Lease liabilities are discounted to present value using the incremental borrowing rate of the lessee on the transition date.

 

IFRIC 23 – Uncertainty over income tax treatments 

 

The interpretation IFRIC 23 addresses the accounting for income taxes when tax treatments involve uncertainty that affects the application of IAS 12 and does not apply to taxes or levies outside the scope of IAS 12, nor does it specifically include requirements relating to interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax treatments.

 

The Interpretation specifically addresses the following:

 

if the entity considers uncertain tax treatments separately;

 

the assumptions of the entity regarding the examination of tax treatments by tax authorities;

 

how the entity determines taxable income (tax loss), calculation bases, unused tax losses, tax credits from prior periods and tax rates;

 

how the entity considers changes in facts and circumstances.

 

The entity must determine if it considers each uncertain tax treatment separately or jointly with one or more uncertain tax treatments. The entity must follow the approach that best provides the resolution of the uncertainty. The interpretation is valid for annual periods starting after January 1, 2019. We adopted the standard as of July 1, 2019 and concluded that there were no significant effects on our financial statements.

 

 53 

 

 

Standards issued but not yet in force

 

Amendments to IFRS 3: Defining businesses

 

In October 2018, the IASB issued amendments to IFRS 3 regarding the definition of a business to help entities to determine if a set of activities and assets acquired is a business or not. They clarify the minimum requirements for a company, eliminate the assessment of if market participants are capable of replacing missing elements, include guidelines to help entities to evaluate if an acquired process is substantive, determine better the definitions of business and outputs and introduce a test of concentration of optional fair value. New illustrative cases were provided with the amendments.

 

Since the amendments apply prospectively to transactions or other events occurring on the date or after the first-time adoption, the Company will not be affected by these amendments on the transition date.

 

Amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8: Definition of material omission

 

In October 2018, IASB issued amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8 – Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors to align the definition of omission in all standards, with the information material if omitting, misstating or obscuring if it could reasonably influence decisions that the primary users of general purpose financial statements make on the basis of those financial statements, which provide financial information about a specific reporting entity

 

Such amendments are not expected to have a significant impact on our financial statements.

 

There are no other standards and interpretations issued and not yet adopted that may, in the opinion of our management, significantly impact profit or loss or shareholders’ equity disclosed by us.

 

 JOBS Act

 

On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, reduce certain requirements for qualifying public companies.

 

Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company,” we choose to rely on such exemptions, we may not be required to, among other things, provide an auditor’s attestation report on our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to comply with any PCAOB rules, that, if adopted in the future, would require mandatory audit firm rotation and auditor discussion and analysis pursuant to any future audit rule promulgated by the PCAOB. These exemptions apply until we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” The JOBS Act also provides “emerging growth companies” an election to comply with new or revised accounting standards on a delayed basis for those standards that have a different effective date for public and private companies. However, such election is limited to companies that prepare their financial statements and report in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. As our financial statements are prepared in accordance with IFRS, such accommodation is not available to us, and we will be required to apply new or revised accounting standards under IFRS as from the effective date established in the corresponding standard.

 

Recent Developments

 

Sale of Bananal X Farm

 

On February, 20, 2019 we entered into a commitment to purchase and sale agreement for the sale of all of the 2,160 hectares of the Bananal X Farm, a property that had been held by Agrifirma Brasil Agropecuária S.A. since October 2011 and partially leased (1,968 hectares) to Francisco Ferreira Camacho since June, 2016, located in Luís Eduardo Magalhães, in the State of Bahia, comprised of 1,714 hectares of agricultural area and 446 hectares of legal reserve and permanent preservation area. The farm had not been operated by us and was leased for the purpose of cattle raising.

 

The sale price was R$28.0 million, which was divided into seven installments, with an advance of R$2.0 million to be paid in two installments, with the first installment becoming due on February 20, 2019 and the second 30 days thereafter. The two advance installments were received and are recorded as advances from customers.

 

A disagreement with the lessee of the area upon the sale prevented its immediate recognition until our current fiscal year and reporting date, and the asset remained registered under non-current assets held for sale. In July 2020, the parties concluded the agreement, the conditions precedent were fully met and, on July 31, 2020, the ownership of the farm was transferred, consummating the sale of the Bananal X farm.

 

The conditions precedent set forth in the sale agreement were fully met on July 31, 2020 after the receipt of R$5.5 million. The nominal sale value was R$28.0 million, of which we already received R$7.5 million. The remainder of the sale price will be paid to us in three annual installments in 2021, 2022 and 2023 in the amounts of R$6.0 million, R$7.0 million and R$7.5 million, respectively.

 

 54 

 

 

2020 Cybersecutity Incident

 

In year ended June 30, 2020, we were subject to a ransomware cyberattack that caused a partial and temporary interruption of our operations. We implemented our contingency plans, continued operating partially during the cyberattack, and progressively reconnected our operating systems following the attack.

 

Following the incident, we have taken certain additional preventative measures to address cybersecurity risks, such as review and identification of the vulnerabilities in our IT environment, review of the processes and procedures related to firewall and logical access management, including IT systems and databases, and implementation of logical access and information security controls to address the risks identified.

 

Although the source of the cyberattack could not be identified, the process and characteristics of the cyberattack could be satisfactorily identified, and we believe the procedures described above will assist us in reviewing our information technology systems to prevent further cyberattacks in the future.

 

See “Item 3. Key Information––D. Risk Factors—We were the target of a cybersecurity incident that disrupted our systems.”

 

Results of Operations

 

The following discussion of our results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS. The discussion of the results of our business segments is based upon financial information reported for each of the segments of our business, as presented in the table below.

 

The following tables set forth operating results of each of our segments and the reconciliation of these results to our consolidated statement of income.

 

   Year Ended June 30, 2020 
   (in R$ thousands) 
           Agricultural activity 
   Total   Real estate   Grains   Cotton   Sugarcane   Cattle raising   Other   Corporate 
Net revenue   487,568    14,680    233,413    13,052    192,942    32,674    807     
Gain from sale of farm   61,420    61,420                         
Gain (loss) on fair value of biological assets and agricultural products   160,371        86,373    1,373    75,861    (1,298)   (1,938)    
Reversal of provision for agricultural products after harvest   (4,153)       (4,153)                    
Cost of sales   (483,813)   (4,876)   (245,805)   (13,529)   (184,811)   (32,436)   (2,356)    
Gross profit   221,393    71,224    69,828    896    83,992    (1,060)   (3,487)    
                                         
Operating income (expenses)                                        
Selling expenses   (14,300)   3,731    (16,247)   (282)   (1,136)   (366)        
General and administrative expenses   (43,890)                           (43,890)
Other operating income   1,231                            1,231 
Equity pickup   (150)                           (150)
Operating income (loss)   164,284    74,955    53,581    614    82,856    (1,426)   (3,487)   (42,809)
                                         
Net financial income                                        
Financial income   375,413    146,161    11,325    886            23,053    193,988 
Financial expenses   (406,168)   (133,795)   (39,362)   (3,651)   (4,828)   (1,532)   (43,175)   (179,825)
Income (loss) before taxes   133,529    87,321    25,544    (2,151)   78,028    (2,958)   (23,609)   (28,646)
                                         
Income and social contribution taxes   (13,975)   (6,722)   (8,685)   731    (26,530)   1,006    8,027    18,198 
                                         
Net income (loss) for the year   119,554    80,599    16,859    (1,420)   51,498    (1,952)   (15,582)   (10,448)

 

 55 

 

 

   Year Ended June 30, 2019 
   (in R$ thousands) 
           Agricultural activity 
   Total   Real estate   Grains   Cotton   Sugarcane   Cattle raising   Other   Corporate 
Net revenue   357,910    8,520    171,735        160,476    16,795    384     
Gain from sale of farm   142,812    142,812                         
Gain (loss) on fair value of biological assets and agricultural products   56,718        18,714    2,619    34,511    1,526    (652)    
Reversal of provision for agricultural products after harvest   (2,040)       (2,040)                    
Cost of sales   (319,214)   (1,788)   (156,656)       (142,303)   (17,118)   (1,349)    
Gross profit   236,186    149,544    31,753    2,619    52,684    1,203    (1,617)    
                                         
Operating income (expenses)                                        
Selling expenses   (10,536)   (35)   (10,885)           (201)   585     
General and administrative expenses   (38,812)                           (38,812)
Other operating income   (1,064)                           (1,064)
Equity pickup   1,102                            1,102 
Operating income (loss)   186,876    149,509    20,868    2,619    52,684    1,002    (1,032)   (38,774)
                                         
Net financial income                                        
Financial income   310,538    93,460    13,699        79,232        11,549    112,598 
Financial expenses   (297,616)   (116,502)   (9,566)       (44,569)           (126,600)
Income (loss) before taxes   199,798    126,467    25,001    2,619    86,968    1,002    10,517    (52,776)
                                         
Income and social contribution taxes   (22,719)   (7,724)   (8,500)           (341)   (3,576)   26,991 
                                         
Net income (loss) for the year   177,079    118,743    16,501    2,619    (29,569)   661    6,941    (25,785)

 

   Year Ended June 30, 2018 
   (in R$ thousands) 
           Agricultural activity 
   Total   Real estate   Grains   Cotton   Sugarcane   Cattle raising   Other   Corporate 
Net revenue   244,278    5,133    97,180        138,143    4,081    (259)    
Gain from sale of farm   39,817    39,817