Verde Potash Announces Appointment of Chief Operating Officer

TORONTO, December 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Verde Potash Plc (TSXV: NPK) ("Verde" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Pedro Ladeira as Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Ladeira has been with the Company since October 2010 acting as VP of Engineering and has been an integral part of the development of ThermoPotash and KCl.

Mr. Ladeira has extensive experience in operations management specializing in large start-up projects and expansions. In his career, Mr. Ladeira was responsible for the construction and operation of two cement plants with total capacity of 2.5 million tonnes per annum. Prior to joining Verde, he was Plant Director at CementosMinetti (part of Holcim Group, one of the world's largest cement producers) from January 2007 to August 2010, when he was responsible for over 600 employees and the management of its two main factories. From 1997 to 2006, Mr. Ladeira worked for Holcim in Brazil; he held various positions including Process and Production Manager where he developed significant expertise in project development, pyrometallurgy and alternative fuels usage. Mr. Ladeira graduated in Chemical Engineering and is completing a Masters in Technical Co-Processing, Chemical Engineering from UFMG (University Federal de Minas Gerais). Mr. Ladeira also holds an Executive MBA from Fundação Dom Cabral, Belo Horizonte.

Verde has issued 150,000 share purchase options exercisable at $6.95, expiring December 23, 2016 to Mr. Ladeira, pending TSX regulatory approval.

Mauricio Sampaio, previously Verde's Vice President of Operations, is no longer with the Company. The Company wishes him every success in his future endeavours.

Cristiano Veloso, President & CEO, said: "As the Company moves into detailed engineering, a professional with the experience of Mr. Ladeira will be invaluable in senior management. Alongside Mr. Ladeira's achievements previous to joining Verde, he has been an integral part of the Company's progress in developing a commercial route for producing conventional potash, and will be empowered to continue this work in his new role."

About Verde Potash Plc

Verde is a fertilizer exploration and development company; it was founded and is led by Brazilians. Verde is developing the Cerrado Verde project in Brazil, a source of potash-rich rock from which the Company plans to produce a potash fertilizer product. Founded as Amazon Mining Holding Plc in 2005, the Company changed its name to Verde Potash Plc in April 2011 to better reflect its core business.

About the Cerrado Verde Potash Project

Cerrado Verde is a unique project: 1) its high grade potash rock outcrops and is amenable to strip mining, allowing fast construction of a scalable operation; 2) it is located in the midst of the world's third largest and fastest growing fertilizer market; 3) it connects to Brazil's largest fertilizer distribution districts via existing and high quality infra-structure.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Verde Potash, Cristiano Veloso, President and CEO.

Cautionary Language and Forward Looking Statements

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. THIS PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS CERTAIN "FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS", WHICH INCLUDE BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, STATEMENTS WITH RESPECT TO THE FUTURE OPERATING PERFORMANCE OF THE COMPANY, ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND ITS PROJECTS. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS CAN GENERALLY BE IDENTIFIED BY THE USE OF WORDS SUCH AS "PLANS", "EXPECTS", OR "DOES NOT EXPECT" OR "IS EXPECTED", "ANTICIPATES" OR "DOES NOT ANTICIPATE", OR "BELIEVES", "INTENDS", "FORECASTS", "BUDGET", "SCHEDULED", "ESTIMATES" OR VARIATIONS OF SUCH WORDS OR PHRASES OR STATE THAT CERTAIN ACTIONS, EVENT, OR RESULTS "MAY", "COULD", "WOULD", "MIGHT", OR "WILL BE TAKEN", "OCCUR" OR "BE ACHIEVED". FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS INVOLVE KNOWN AND UNKNOWN RISKS, UNCERTAINTIES AND OTHER FACTORS WHICH MAY CAUSE THE ACTUAL RESULTS TO BE MATERIALLY DIFFERENT FROM ANY FUTURE RESULTS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED BY SAID STATEMENTS. THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCES THAT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS WILL PROVE TO BE ACCURATE, AS ACTUAL RESULTS AND FUTURE EVENTS COULD DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE ANTICIPATED IN SAID STATEMENTS. ACCORDINGLY, READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE RELIANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS.

For further information:
Cristiano Veloso, President & Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +44-(0)20-8133-7607; Fax: +44(0)20-7405 7773; Email: cv@verdepotash.com
OR
Jed Richardson, VP Corporate Development
Tel: +1(416)866-2966; Fax: +1(416)866-8829; Email: jed@verdepotash.com
http://www.verdepotash.com