MBAC announces the appointment of Cristiano Melcher as President and Chief Executive Officer

TSX:MBC
OTCQX:MBCFF
Shares Outstanding:152,029,492
Fully Diluted:169,049,330

TORONTO, Jan. 6, 2014 /CNW/ - MBAC Fertilizer Corp. ("MBAC" or the "Company") (TSX:MBC and OTCQX:MBCFF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Cristiano Melcher as the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer.  Mr. Melcher will formally assume the functions of President and Chief Executive Officer on February 1, 2014 upon completion of his current employment obligations.  Antenor Silva, the current Chief Executive Officer, will be stepping down as CEO and will remain a Director of the Company.

Mr. Melcher is an experienced senior executive in the resource, fertilizer and chemical sectors, primarily in Brazil.   For the last three years, Mr. Melcher was the Chief Executive Officer of Fosbrasil, the leading purified phosphoric acid producer in South America.  Prior to Fosbrasil, Mr. Melcher had a successful career with the Anglo American PLC ("Anglo") organization where he was Executive Director and board member of Copebras, a leading Brazilian phosphate fertilizer producer owned by Anglo.  Mr. Melcher also held a number of other positions within the Anglo organization including Head of Marketing, Strategy, Business Development and Asset Optimization for Phosphates, Nickel and Niobium, Head of the Phosphate and Niobium Business Unit and Vice President Corporate Finance.  Mr. Melcher is also a board member of important industry sector associations including SINPRIFERT (Association of Fertilizer Producing Companies) and ABIQUIM (Association of the Brazilian Chemical Industry). Mr. Melcher graduated with a degree in Industrial Engineering from the Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo and obtained his MBA from INSEAD, France. 

With the transition of the Company into an operating fertilizer producer, Mr. Melcher will drive the Company focus towards the successful ramp-up to full capacity at its Itafós operations as well as in the critical areas of sales, marketing, strategic alliances and capital position, allowing the Company to consolidate itself as one of the main suppliers of phosphate fertilizers in Brazil in the upcoming year. 

Peter Marrone, Chairman of the Board stated, "We are very pleased that Cristiano has agreed to take on this very important role as the Company has transitioned into a production and sales organization.  His previous experience is very well suited to the needs of the Company as we head into our first full year of production."

Mr. Marrone added, "We are very grateful for Antenor's many contributions to the Company.  He has exhibited remarkable commitment and resolve while also providing invaluable leadership during this very critical stage of the Company.  I look forward to continuing working with Antenor as a valued member of our Board of Directors."

Antenor Silva stated, "The Company is now at a point where production and sales are paramount as we head to the next level.  I believe Cristiano has the skill set and the experience to allow the Company to achieve its goals."

Cristiano Melcher stated, "I am very excited about the opportunity at MBAC and continuing the momentum that the Company has built as it strives to be a leading player in the fertilizer sector in Brazil.  Itafόs and Santana represent exciting opportunities and I look forward to growing the Company and in the process closing the gap that has opened up between the value of its projects and the share price."

The Board of Directors will be working with Mr. Melcher to further evaluate the management needs of the Company over the next couple of months as MBAC focuses on production and growth.

The Company continues to advance initiatives with key customers relating to the sale of Single Superphosphate from its expected production and sales for 2014.  

The Company will hold its Fourth Quarter Conference Call at 10:00 am (EST) on March 27, 2014. The Company will also hold an Investor Day on that date starting at 12:00 pm (EST) and will provide a detailed update on its operations and development projects.

About MBAC
MBAC is focused on becoming a significant integrated producer of phosphate fertilizers and related products in the Brazilian and Latin American markets. MBAC has an experienced team with significant experience in the business of fertilizer operations, management, marketing and finance within Brazil. MBAC owns and operates the Itafós Operations which consists of an integrated fertilizer producing facility comprised of a phosphate mine, a mill, a beneficiation plant, a sulphuric acid plant, an SSP plant and a granulation plant and related infrastructure located in central Brazil. The Itafós Operations are estimated to have production capacity of approximately 500,000 tonnes of SSP per annum. MBAC's exploration portfolio includes a number of additional exciting phosphate projects, which are also located in Brazil. The Santana Phosphate Project is a high grade phosphate deposit located in close proximity to the largest fertilizer market of Mato Grosso State and animal feed market of Pará State. The Company continues to search for additional fertilizer opportunities in the Brazilian and other Latin-American markets, where strong agricultural fundamentals and unique opportunities are expected to provide attractive growth opportunities in the near future. Further information on MBAC can be found on the Company's website at www.mbacfert.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including, without limitation, statements related to the Company's business strategy, objectives and goals, that the Company will successfully ramp-up to full capacity, that it will succeed in the critical areas of sales, marketing, strategic alliances and capital position, that the Company will consolidate itself as one of the main suppliers of phosphate fertilizers in Brazil in the upcoming year, that the Company will grow and the gap between the value of its projects and the share price will be closed, the Company's goal of becoming a significant integrated producer of fertilizers, the realization of the Itafós Operations estimated capacity of 500,000 tonnes per year of SSP, and the expectation regarding the development and financing of the Santana Phosphate Project. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of words such as "plans", "planning", "planned", "expects" or "looking forward", "does not expect", "continues", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "potential", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", or "belief", or describes a "goal", or variation of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of factors and assumptions made by management and considered reasonable at the time such statements are made, and forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include, among others, the risk that the Company will not successfully ramp-up to full capacity, that it will not succeed in the critical areas of sales, marketing, strategic alliances and capital position, that the Company will not consolidate itself as one of the main suppliers of phosphate fertilizers in Brazil in the upcoming year, the risk that the Company will not grow and that the gap that has opened up between the value of its projects and the share price will not be closed, the risk that the Company does not achieve its goal of becoming a significant integrated producer of fertilizers, the risk of non-realization of the Itafós Operations estimated capacity of 500,000 tonnes per year of SSP and the risk that the expectation regarding the development and financing of the Santana Phosphate Project is not realized, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's current Annual Information Form and Management's Discussion and Analysis, as well as other public disclosure documents, available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although MBAC has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release, are presented for the purposes of assisting investors in understanding the Company's plan, objectives and goals and may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or forward-looking statement except as required by applicable securities laws. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: MBAC Fertilizer Corp.

Steve Burleton, Vice President Corporate Development, at 416-367-2200, [email protected] or visit our website at: www.mbacfert.com