2. BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | 12 Months Ended |
Dec. 31, 2013 |
Notes to Financial Statements | ' |
Note 2. BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | ' |
Basis of Presentation |
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with US GAAP. The basis of accounting differs from that used in the statutory accounts of the Company, which are prepared in accordance with the accounting principles of the PRC (“PRC GAAP”). The Company’s functional currency is the Chinese Renminbi (“RMB”); however the accompanying consolidated financial statements have been translated and presented in United States Dollars (“USD”). All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. |
Use of Estimates |
The preparation of these financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of these financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Accordingly, actual results may differ from these estimates. Significant estimates include the useful lives of property and equipment, land use rights and biological assets, and assumptions used in assessing impairment for long-term assets. |
Principles of Consolidation |
Pursuant to US GAAP, Fengze is the VIE of the Company and the Company is the primary beneficiary of the VIE. Accordingly, the VIE has been consolidated in the Company’s financial statements. |
Based on various VIE agreements, the Company is able to exercise control over the VIE, and obtain the financial interests such as the periodic income of the VIE through the EMA, PEA, and OA and to acquire the net assets of VIE through purchase of their equities. The Company therefore concluded that its interest in the VIE is not a non-controlling interest and therefore is not classified as such. Based on the Exclusive Agreements the amount of controlling interest of the Fengze shareholders, who are holding shares of the VIE for the Company, is zero. They exercise no controls over the VIE and no financial interests of ownership are due to them either for periodic income or the net assets. |
Cash and Cash Equivalents |
Cash and cash equivalents consist of all cash balances and highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less. Because of the short maturity of these investments, the carrying amounts approximate their fair value. Restricted cash is excluded from cash and cash equivalents. |
Accounts Receivable |
Accounts receivable is stated at cost, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company maintains allowances for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the failure of customers to make required payments. The Company reviews the accounts receivable on a periodic basis and makes allowances where there is doubt as to the collectability of individual balances. In evaluating the collectability of individual receivable balances, the Company considers many factors, including the age of the balance, the customer’s payment history, its current credit-worthiness and current economic trends. |
Management accrued allowance for doubtful accounts of $10,178 and $0 at December 31, 2013 and 2012. |
Inventories |
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost, as determined by the weighted-average method, or market. Management compares the cost of inventories with the market value, and allowance is made for writing down the inventories to their market value if that is lower. Costs of raised animals include proportionate costs of breeding, including amortization of the breeding herd or biological assets, plus the costs of feed and other maintenance costs through the balance sheet date. Management inspects and monitors inventory on a continual basis. |
Prepaid Expenses |
Prepaid expenses at December 31, 2013 and 2012 totaled $204,106 and $237,247, respectively, and includes prepayments to suppliers for services that had not yet been provided to us. We recognize prepayments as expense as suppliers provide services, in compliance with our accounting policy. For the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, the Company had amortized its prepaid insurance expense, warehouse leasing expense, and service expense of $352,513 and $294,065, respectively. |
Advances to Suppliers |
Advances to suppliers at December 31, 2013 and 2012 totaled $1,612,492 and $189,094, respectively, and includes prepayments to suppliers for merchandise and raw materials that had not yet been shipped to us. We recognize prepayments as inventory or expense as suppliers make delivery of goods in compliance with our accounting policy. Included in advances to suppliers as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, we had prepaid $1,440,167 and $0, respectively, to the Company’s premix feed supplier. |
Plant and Equipment |
The Company states plant and equipment at cost less accumulated depreciation. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred; additions, renewals and betterments are capitalized. When plant and equipment assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the respective accounts, and any resulting gain or loss is recorded as an operating expense. In accordance with US GAAP, the Company examines the possibility of decreases in the value of plant and equipment when events or changes in circumstances reflect the fact that their recorded value may not be recoverable. The Company computes depreciation using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets with a residual value of 5% of plant and equipment. |
Estimated useful lives of the Company’s assets are as follows: |
| | |
| | Useful Life |
Buildings | | 20 years |
Vehicles | | 5 years |
Office equipment | | 5 years |
Production equipment | | 5-10 years |
Construction in Progress |
Construction in progress consists of amounts expended for building construction of new breeding and animal rearing facilities. Once the building construction is completed and the facilities are approved for adequate breeding and animal rearing activity, the construction in progress assets are categorized as buildings and production equipment and are then accounted for in plant and equipment. Assets accounted for as plant and equipment are used in the Company’s production process, whereupon they are depreciated over their estimated useful lives. |
Biological Assets |
Biological assets consist primarily of hogs purchased or selected from the Company’s own production for breeding and farrowing, which management believes will produce piglets that grow faster and have better quality breeding capabilities and carcasses with a high percentage of meat and a small quantity of fat. The costs to purchase and cultivate these breeding hogs and the expenditures related to labor and materials to feed the breeding hogs until they become commercially productive and breedable are capitalized. When these breeding hogs are entered into breeding and farrowing production, amortization of the costs of these breeding hogs commences. The estimated production life for breeding hogs is three years, and the costs are amortized to a residual value of $76 (RMB 500). After the breeding hogs have completed their production life of breeding, these breeding hogs are then transferred into inventory as the vast majority of these breeding hogs will then be sold for meat processing. Expenses incurred maintaining breeding hogs during gestation until piglets are weaned are capitalized into inventory and included in Work in process—biological assets, a component of inventories. If these breeding hogs produce piglets which are deemed appropriate for internal breeding purposes, the gestation and raising costs until weaned for these piglets are then allocated into biological assets. |
Amortized expenses pertaining to biological assets are included in inventory costs for those piglets to be sold and ultimately become a component of cost of goods sold. |
Land Use Rights |
According to the laws of the PRC, the government owns all the land in the PRC. Companies or individuals are authorized to possess and use the land only through land use rights granted by the Chinese government. Land use rights are being amortized using the straight-line method over their lease terms. |
The Company carries land use rights at cost less accumulated amortization. In accordance with US GAAP, the Company examines the possibility of decreases in the value of land use rights when events or changes in circumstances reflect the fact that their recorded value may not be recoverable. The Company computes amortization using the straight-line method over the 50 year life of the land use rights. |
Impairment of Long-lived Assets |
In accordance with US GAAP, the Company periodically reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable. The Company recognizes an impairment loss when the sum of expected undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset. The amount of impairment is measured as the difference between the asset’s estimated fair value and its book value. For the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company had recorded impairment charges of $1,490,034 and $38,769 at its plant and equipment and construction in progress. |
Fair Value of Financial Instruments |
Effective January 1, 2008, the Company adopted ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure (“ASC 820”) for assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis. ASC 820 establishes a common definition for fair value to be applied to existing generally accepted accounting principles that require the use of fair value measurements, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosure about such fair value measurements. The adoption of ASC 820 did not have an impact on the Company’s financial position or operating results, but did expand certain disclosures. |
ASC 820 defines fair value as the price that would be received upon sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Additionally, ASC 820 requires the use of valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. These inputs are prioritized below: |
Level 1: Observable inputs such as quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities |
Level 2: Observable market-based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data |
Level 3: Unobservable inputs for which there is little or no market data, which require the use of the reporting entity’s own assumptions. |
The Company did not identify any assets and liabilities that are required to be presented on the condensed consolidated balance sheets at fair value in accordance with the relevant accounting standards. |
The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables and payables, and short-term bank loans and debts approximate their fair values due to the short maturities of these instruments. |
Non-controlling Interest |
Non-controlling interests in the Company’s subsidiaries are recorded in accordance with the provisions of ASC 810 and are reported as a component of equity, separate from the parent’s equity. Purchase or sale of equity interests that do not result in a change of control are accounted for as equity transactions. Results of operations attributable to the non-controlling interest are included in our consolidated results of operations and, upon loss of control, the interest sold, as well as interest retained, if any, will be reported at fair value with any gain or loss recognized in earnings. |
Revenue Recognition |
The Company generates revenues from the business of breeding, raising, and selling hogs for use in Chinese pork meat production and the sale of hogs for breeding by other hog producers. From September 30, 2011 until June 15, 2012, the Company also generated revenue from selling processed pork products to retailers. Starting from the second quarter of 2013, the Company resumed its retail operations to sell processed pork products to retailers. |
Revenues generated from the sales of breeding and meat hogs and processed pork are recognized when these products are delivered to customers in accordance with previously agreed upon pricing and delivery arrangements, and the collectability of these sales is reasonably assured. Cash payment, which sometimes is in the form of wired cash transfers to the Company’s bank account, is usually received by the Company at the time the hogs are sold. Sold hogs and processed pork are not returnable and accordingly, no provision has been made for returnable goods. The customers are responsible for the shipping of the hogs that they have purchased. |
Collaborative Arrangements |
The Company evaluates whether an arrangement is a collaborative arrangement under FASB ASC Topic 808, Collaborative Arrangements, at its inception based on the facts and circumstances specific to the arrangement. The Company also reevaluates whether an arrangement qualifies or continues to qualify as a collaborative arrangement whenever there is a change in either the roles of the participants or the participants’ exposure to significant risks and rewards dependent on the ultimate commercial success of the endeavor. For those collaborative arrangements where it is determined that the Company is the principal participant, costs incurred and revenue generated from third parties are recorded on a gross basis in the financial statements. |
The Company’s collaboration agreements with third parties are performed on a ‘‘best efforts’’ basis with no guarantee of either technological or commercial success. |
Payments to and from the Company’s collaboration partners are presented in the statements of income based on the nature of the arrangement (including its contractual terms), the nature of the payments and applicable accounting guidance. Under the collaborative agreement with An Puluo, the Company was the principal in the transaction and the Company recorded revenues when An Puluo sold the product and title passed to its customer. The Company and An Puluo share the profit from this collaborative business and all profit sharing to An Puluo was recorded as part of Cost of sales in the Company’s consolidated statements of income. On June 15, 2012, the Company terminated the collaborative agreement with An Puluo. |
In accordance with the Company’s collaborative agreement with An Puluo, the Company was able to establish retail operations within existing retail facilities with whom An Puluo had ongoing business arrangements. In these retail facilities, the Company is permitted to retail pork products. The owners of these retail facilities are responsible for collection of all retail sales made by the Company. These retail facilities are responsible for remitting to the Company the sales revenue that they collect on behalf of the Company, less any fees for operating a retail operation in their facility. The receivable as of June 15, 2012, along with all assets and liabilities generated and incurred under the collaborative arrangement, has been assumed by An Puluo after the Company terminated the collaborative arrangement as An Puluo has the capacity to operate a retail operation. Net assets and liabilities that arose under this terminated collaborative arrangement have been resolved as of December 31, 2012 and are reflected as $0 in net assets and liabilities of discontinued operations. |
According to the agreement, the Company and An Puluo share the net income of the collaborative retail business on a ratio of 60% to the Company and 40% to An Puluo. Profit sharing to An Puluo during the year ended December 31, 2012 was $15,672. The profit sharing payable though June 15, 2012 has been resolved with An Puluo as part of the termination of the collaborative arrangement. |
Segment Information |
The Company follows FASB ASC 280-Segment Reporting, which requires that companies disclose segment data based on how management makes decision about allocating resources to segments and evaluating their performance. The Company’s management has determined that as of December 31, 2012 their operations are in one segment, that of hog farming. While the Company operated under the collaboration agreement with An Puluo it operated under two segments, that of hog farming and retail pork product sales. Subsequent to the cancellation of the collaboration agreement on June 15, 2012, the Company operates in the hog farming segment only. |
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In the second and third quarters of 2013, the Company entered into distribution agreements with supermarkets whereby the Company is permitted to sell processed pork products in the supermarkets’ retail facilities. Consequently, management has determined that the Company is now operating in two segments, hog farming and retail. |
Income Taxes |
The Company accounts for income taxes under the provisions of Section 740-10-30 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, which is an asset and liability approach that requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in its financial statements or tax returns. The Company did not have any deferred tax assets or liabilities as of December 31, 2013 and 2012. |
The Company is subject to the Enterprise Income Tax law (“EIT”) of the People’s Republic of China. However, according to the EIT, companies that are engaged in the agricultural business and primary processing of agricultural products are exempt from the 25% enterprise income tax. The Company is engaged in breeding, raising, and selling hogs for use in Chinese pork meat production and hog breeding, which is exempt from the Chinese income tax. Tianli is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. Under the current tax laws of the British Virgin Islands, the Company is not subject to income taxes. |
In addition, the Company is not subject to the PRC’s 17% VAT tax for hog sales or the 5% business tax levied on incomes from services rendered. According to the PRC tax regulations, companies engaging in the agricultural business are exempt from these taxes. With respect to the Company’s retail operations, the Company is engaged in breeding, processing, and distributing black hogs and black hog meats which are exempt from VAT taxes and corporate income tax as well. |
Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share |
The Company reports earnings per share in accordance with FASB ASC 260 “Earnings per share”. The Company’s basic earnings per share are computed using the weighted average number of shares outstanding for the periods presented. Diluted earnings per share are computed based on the assumption that any dilutive options or warrants were converted or exercised. Dilution is computed by applying the treasury stock method. Under this method, the Company’s outstanding stock warrants are assumed to be exercised, and funds thus obtained were assumed to be used to purchase common stock at the average market price during the period. There were no dilutive instruments outstanding during the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012. |
Foreign Currency Translation |
As of December 31, 2013 and 2012, the accounts of Tianli were maintained and its financial statements were expressed in Chinese Renminbi (RMB). Such financial statements were translated into United States Dollars (USD) in accordance with US GAAP, with the RMB as the functional currency. All assets and liabilities are translated at the current exchange rates as of the balance sheet dates. These rates were RMB 6.11 per US dollar and RMB 6.30 per US dollar as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Stockholders’ equity is translated at the historical rates and items in the statements of operations and cash flows are translated at the average exchange rate for the period. The resulting translation adjustments are reported under other comprehensive income in accordance with US GAAP as a component of stockholders’ equity. |
During the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, the transactions of Tianli were denominated and recorded in RMB and are translated at the average rates of exchange for the period. There rates were RMB 6.19 and RMB 6.30 per US dollar for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Exchange gains and losses are recognized for the different foreign exchange rates applied when the foreign currency assets and liabilities are settled. Transaction gains and losses that arise from exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are included in the results of operations as incurred. |
Stock Based Compensation |
In December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, issued FASB ASC 718-10-55 - Compensation-Stock Compensation, or ASC 718-10-55. Under ASC 718-10-55, companies are required to measure the compensation costs of share-based compensation arrangements based on the grant-date fair value and recognize the costs in the financial statements over the period during which employees are required to provide services. Share-based compensation arrangements include stock options, restricted share plans, performance-based awards, share appreciation rights and employee share purchase plans. In addition, FASB ASC 825-10-50-10 – Financial Instruments – Overall – Disclosures, or ASC 825-10-50-10, expresses views of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, staff regarding the interaction between ASC 718-10-55 and certain SEC rules and regulations and provides the staff's views regarding the valuation of share-based payment arrangements for public companies. The Company’s compensation cost is measured on the date of grant at its fair value. Such compensation amounts, if any, are amortized over the respective vesting periods or period of service of the option grant. |
Contingencies |
Certain conditions may exist as of the date the financial statements are issued, which may result in a loss to the Company but which will only be resolved when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. The Company’s management and legal counsel assess such contingent liabilities, and such assessments inherently involve an exercise of judgment. In assessing loss contingencies related to legal proceedings that are pending against the Company or unasserted claims that may result in such proceedings, the Company’s legal counsel evaluates the perceived merits of any legal proceedings or unasserted claims as well as the perceived merits of the amount of relief sought or expected to be sought. |
If the assessment of a contingency indicates that it is probable that a material loss has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be estimated, then the estimated liability would be accrued in the Company’s financial statements. If the assessment indicates that a potential material loss contingency is not probable but is reasonably possible, or is probable but cannot be estimated, then the nature of the contingent liability, together with an estimate of the range of possible loss if determinable and material would be disclosed. |
Loss contingencies considered to be remote by management are generally not disclosed unless they involve guarantees, in which case the guarantee would be disclosed. |
Accrual of Environmental Obligations |
ASC Section 410-30-25 “Recognition” of environmental obligations requires the accrual of a liability if both of the following conditions are met: |
a) Information available before the financial statements are issued or are available to be issued indicates that it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred at the date of the financial statements. |
b) The amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. |
As of December 31, 2013 and 2012, the Company did not have any environmental remediation obligations, nor did it have any asset retirement obligations under ASC 410. Furthermore, the Company did not have any environmental remediation loss contingencies requiring recognition or disclosure in its financial statements. |
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements |
In February 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2013-04, Obligations Resulting from Joint and Several Liability Arrangements for Which the Total Amount of the Obligation Is Fixed at the Reporting Date , clarifying how entities are required to measure obligations resulting from joint and several liability arrangements and outlining the required disclosures around these liabilities. The ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2013. The Company does not believe this ASU will have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements. |
In February 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update 2013-02, “Other Comprehensive Income (Topic 220)” (“ASU 2013-02”). The objective of ASU 2013-02 is to improve the reporting of reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income. ASU 2013-02 seeks to attain that objective by requiring an entity to report the effect of significant reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income on the respective line items in net income if the amount being reclassified is required under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) to be reclassified in its entirety to net income in the same reporting period. For other amounts that are not required under U.S. GAAP to be reclassified in their entirety to net income in the same reporting period, an entity is required to cross-reference other disclosures required under U.S. GAAP that provide additional detail about those amounts. ASU 2013-02 was effective prospectively for the Company in its first quarter of 2013. The adoption ASU 2013-02 did not impact the consolidated financial statements. |
In March 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-05, Foreign Currency Matters, (Topic 830): Parent's Accounting for the Cumulative Translation Adjustment upon Derecognition of Certain Subsidiaries or Groups of Assets within a Foreign Entity or of an Investment in a Foreign Entity, to resolve a diversity in accounting for the cumulative translation adjustment of foreign currency upon derecognition of a foreign subsidiary or group of assets. ASU 2013-05 requires the parent to apply the guidance in Subtopic 830-30 to release any related cumulative translation adjustment into net income when a reporting entity (parent) ceases to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary or group of assets within a foreign entity. Accordingly, the cumulative translation adjustment should be released into net income only if the sale or transfer results in the complete or substantially complete liquidation of the foreign entity in which the subsidiary or group of assets had resided. Further, ASU 2013-05 clarified that the parent should apply the guidance in subtopic 810-10 if there is a sale of an investment in a foreign entity, including both (1) events that result in the loss of a controlling financial interest in a foreign entity and (2) events that result in an acquirer obtaining control of an acquiree in which it held an equity interest immediately before the acquisition date. Accordingly, the cumulative translation adjustment should be released into net income upon the occurrence of those events. The guidance is effective prospectively for fiscal years (and interim reporting periods within those years) beginning after December 15, 2013. The guidance should be applied prospectively to derecognition events occurring after the effective date. Prior periods should not be adjusted. Early adoption is permitted. If an entity elects to early adopt the guidance, it should apply the guidance as of the beginning of the entity's fiscal year of adoption. The Company does not expect ASU 2013-05 to have a significant impact on its consolidated results of operations and financial condition. |
In July 2013, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2013-11, “Income Taxes (Topic 740)—Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists” (“ASU 2013-11”). The objective of ASU 2013-11 is to eliminate diversity in practice of presenting unrecognized tax benefits as a liability or presenting unrecognized tax benefits as a reduction of a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss or tax credit carryforward in certain circumstances by requiring that an unrecognized tax benefit be presented in the financial statements as a reduction to deferred tax assets excluding certain exceptions. ASU 2013-11 will be effective prospectively for the Company in its first quarter of 2014. The Company does not expect ASU 2013-11 to have a material effect on its financial statements. |
The Company has considered all other recently issued accounting pronouncements and does not believe the adoption of such pronouncements will have a material impact on its audited consolidated financial statements. |