Village Farms International Announces Expansion of Pure Sunfarms' Licensed Cannabis Production Area to 825,000 Square Feet, Further Increasing One of the Largest Production Capacities in Canada
This amendment permits Pure Sunfarms to expand its cannabis production area by approximately 138,000 square feet to a total of approximately 825,000 square feet.
– Pure Sunfarms Firmly on Track to Achieve Run-Rate Annual Production of 75,000 KG in First Half of 2019 –
VANCOUVER, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Village Farms International, Inc. ("Village Farms" or the "Company") (TSX:VFF) (OTCQX: VFFIF) today announced that its 50%-owned joint venture for large-scale, low-cost, high-quality cannabis production, Pure Sunfarms, received from Health Canada the sixth amendment to the cultivation license for its 1.1 million square foot greenhouse in Delta, BC (the Delta 3 facility). This amendment permits Pure Sunfarms to expand its cannabis production area by approximately 138,000 square feet to a total of approximately 825,000 square feet. With this amendment, the entirety of the first three quadrants of the 1.1 million square foot Pure Sunfarms facility is now licensed for cultivation. The newly licensed area is expected to be fully planted and in production this week.
"The Pure Sunfarms cannabis operation continues to execute on plan, steadily expanding production towards its target of reaching full run rate annual production of 75,000 kilograms in the first half of this year," said Michael DeGiglio, CEO of Village Farms. "As the Canadian cannabis market continues to be challenged by a supply shortage, Pure Sunfarms has already established itself as one of the premier suppliers, with a reputation for industry leading operations and quality, consistency and safety of product. Village Farms, with our decades of experience as a vertically integrated large-scale greenhouse operator, is proud to have played an integral role in Pure Sunfarms' continuing success."
As previously announced, Pure Sunfarms has completed conversion of the remaining approximately 206,000 square feet of growing area (the Quadrant 4 growing area), which is currently under review by Health Canada in respect of further amendment of Pure Sunfarms' cultivation license. Licensing of this area for cultivation, in aggregate, will expand Pure Sunfarms' permitted production area to just over 1.03 million square feet, with the remaining approximately 69,000 square feet of the 1.1 million square foot facility currently in the process of being converted for extraction activities. At a total licensed area of 1.1 million square feet, Pure Sunfarms Delta greenhouse will be one of the single largest cannabis growing facilities in the world.
As also previously announced, all supplemental lighting is operational in Quadrants 2 and 3, and is expected to be operational in Quadrant 4 upon start of production, supporting maximum yields during the lower daylight winter months. Supplemental lighting infrastructure is currently being installed in Quadrant 1 and will be completed prior to Quadrant 1 resuming production in late February 2019. Conversion of Quadrant 1 was completed in April 2018 without supplemental lighting to be able to begin production immediately during the summer months when supplemental lighting was not needed.
The technologically-advanced Delta 3 greenhouse design is based on decades of large-scale, low-cost agricultural production experience and extensive cannabis expertise, resulting in a state-of-the-art facility with 16 grow rooms 13 of which are now licensed) optimized for year-round harvesting (more than 80 harvests annually).
About Village Farms International, Inc.
Village Farms International, Inc. is one of the largest and longest-operating vertically integrated greenhouse growers in North America and the only publicly traded greenhouse produce company in Canada. Village Farms produces and distributes fresh, premium-quality produce with consistency 365 days a year to national grocers in the U.S. and Canada from more than nine million square feet of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) greenhouses in British Columbia and Texas, as well as from its partner greenhouses in British Columbia, Ontario and Mexico. The Company is now leveraging its 30 years of experience as a vertically integrated grower for the rapidly emerging global cannabis opportunity through its 50% ownership of British Columbia-based Pure Sunfarms Corp., one of the single largest cannabis growing operations in the world. The Company also intends to pursue opportunities to become a vertically integrated leader in the U.S. hemp and CBD markets, subject to compliance with all applicable U.S. federal and state laws.
Cautionary Language
Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements may relate to the Company's future outlook or financial position and anticipated events or results and may include statements regarding the financial position, business strategy, budgets, litigation, projected production, projected costs, capital expenditures, financial results, taxes, plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Particularly, statements regarding future results, performance, achievements, prospects or opportunities for the Company, Pure Sunfarms, the greenhouse vegetable industry or the cannabis industry are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by such terms as "outlook", "may", "might", "will", "could", "should", "would", "occur", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "estimate", "predict", "potential", "continue", "likely", "schedule", "objectives", or the negative or grammatical variation thereof or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts.
Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon assumptions that management believes are reasonable based on information currently available to management, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, that may cause the Company's or the industry's actual results, performance, achievements, prospects and opportunities in future periods to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the factors contained in the Company's filings with securities regulators, including as detailed in the Company's annual information form and management's discussion and analysis for the year-ended December 31, 2017.
When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, the Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on these statements, as forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties and should not be read as guarantees of future results, performance, achievements, prospects and opportunities. The forward-looking statements made in this press release only relate to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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