MULG Muliang Viagoo Technology Inc (CE)

The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company, its subsidiaries, and consolidated VIEs, including the VIEs’ subsidiaries, for which Muliang Viagoo is the primary beneficiary.

All transactions and balances among the Company, its subsidiaries, the VIEs, and the VIEs’ subsidiaries have been eliminated upon consolidation.

As PRC laws and regulations welcome investment in organic fertilizer industry businesses, Muliang Viagoo operates its fertilizer business in the PRC through Muliang Industry and its subsidiaries, which are collectively referred to as the “WFOEs.”

By entering into a series of agreements (the “VIE Agreements”), Muliang Viagoo, through WFOEs, obtained control over Muliang Industry and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as “VIEs”). The VIE Agreements enable Muliang Viagoo to (1) have the power to direct the activities that most significantly affect the economic performance of the VIEs, and (2) receive the economic benefits of the VIEs that could be significant to the VIEs. Accordingly, Muliang Viagoo is considered the primary beneficiary of the VIEs and has consolidated the VIEs’ financial results of operations, assets and liabilities in Muliang Viagoo’s consolidated financial statements. In making the conclusion that Muliang Viagoo is the primary beneficiary of the VIEs, Muliang Viagoo’s rights under the Power of Attorney also provide Muliang Viagoo’s abilities to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIEs’ economic performance. Muliang Viagoo also believes that this ability to exercise control ensures that the VIEs will continue to execute and renew the Master Exclusive Service Agreement and pay service fees to Muliang Viagoo. By charging service fees to be determined and adjusted at the sole discretion of Muliang Viagoo, and by ensuring that the Master Exclusive Service Agreement is executed and remains effective, Muliang Viagoo has the right to receive substantially all of the economic benefits from the VIEs.

Comparative VIE financials, are set forth below:

Quantitative Metrics of the VIE, Shanghai Muliang Industry Co., Ltd. are set forth below:

For the nine months ended September 30, 2023

VIE Agreements that were entered to give Muliang Viagoo effective control over the VIEs include:

Voting Rights Proxy Agreement and Irrevocable Power of Attorney

Under which each shareholder of the VIEs grant to any person designated by WFOEs to act as its attorney-in-fact to exercise all shareholder rights under PRC law and the relevant articles of association, including but not limited to, appointing directors, supervisors and officers of the VIEs as well as the right to sell, transfer, pledge and dispose all or a portion of the equity interest held by such shareholders of the VIEs. The proxy and power of attorney agreements will remain effective as long as WFOEs exist. The shareholders of the VIEs do not have the right to terminate the proxy agreements or revoke the appointment of the attorney-in-fact without written consent of the WFOEs.

Exclusive Option Agreement

Under which each shareholder of the VIEs granted 9F or any third party designated by 9F the exclusive and irrevocable right to purchase from such shareholders of the VIEs, to the extent permitted by PRC law and regulations, all or part of their respective equity interests in the VIEs for a purchase price equal to the registered capital. The shareholders of the VIEs will then return the purchase price to 9F or any third party designated by 9F after the option is exercised. 9F may transfer all or part of its option to a third party at its own option. The VIEs and its shareholders agree that without prior written consent of 9F, they may not transfer or otherwise dispose the equity interests or declare any dividends. The restated option agreement will remain effective until 9F or any third party designated by 9F acquires all equity interest of the VIEs.

Spousal Consent

The spouse of each shareholder of the VIEs has entered into a spousal consent letter to acknowledge that he or she consents to the disposition of the equity interests held by his or her spouse in the VIEs in accordance with the exclusive option agreement, the power of attorney and the equity pledge agreement regarding VIE structure described above, and any other supplemental agreement(s) may be consented by his or her spouse from time to time. Each such spouse further agrees that he or she will not take any action or raise any claim to interfere with the arrangements contemplated under the mentioned agreements. In addition, each such spouse further acknowledges that any right or interest in the equity interests held by his or her spouse in the VIEs do not constitute property jointly owned with his or her spouse and each such spouse unconditionally and irrevocably waives any right or interest in such equity interests.

Loan Agreement

Pursuant to the loan agreements between WFOEs and each shareholder of the VIEs, WFOEs extended loans to the shareholders of the VIEs, who had contributed the loan principal to the VIEs as registered capital. The shareholders of VIEs may repay the loans only by transferring their respective equity interests in VIEs to 9F Inc. or its designated person(s) pursuant to the exclusive option agreements. These loan agreements will remain effective until the date of full performance by the parties of their respective obligations thereunder.

VIE Agreements that enables Muliang Viagoo to receive substantially all of the economic benefits from the VIEs include:

Equity Interest Pledge Agreement

Pursuant to equity interest pledge agreement, each shareholder of the VIEs has pledged all of his or her equity interest held in the VIEs to WFOEs to secure the performance by VIEs and their shareholders of their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, including the payments due to WFOEs for services provided. In the event that the VIEs breach any obligations under these agreements, WFOEs as the pledgees, will be entitled to request immediate disposal of the pledged equity interests and have priority to be compensated by the proceeds from the disposal of the pledged equity interests. The shareholders of the VIEs shall not transfer their equity interests or create or permit to be created any pledges without the prior written consent of WFOEs. The equity interest pledge agreement will remain valid until the master exclusive service agreement and the relevant exclusive option agreements and proxy and power of attorney agreements, expire or terminate.

Master Exclusive Service Agreement

Pursuant to exclusive service agreement, WFOEs have the exclusive right to provide the VIEs with technical support, consulting services and other services. WFOEs shall exclusively own any intellectual property arising from the performance of the agreement. During the term of this agreement, the VIEs may not accept any services covered by this agreement provided by any third party. The VIEs agree to pay service fees to be determined and adjusted at the sole discretion of the WFOEs. The agreement will remain effective unless WFOEs terminate the agreement in writing.

Muliang viagoo believes that the contractual arrangements with the VIEs and their current shareholders are in compliance with PRC laws and regulations and are legally enforceable. However, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit Muliang Viagoo’s ability to enforce the contractual arrangements. If the legal structure and contractual arrangements were found to be in violation of PRC laws and regulations, the PRC government could:

Muliang Viagoo’s ability to conduct its business may be negatively affected if the PRC government were to carry out any of the aforementioned actions. As a result, Muliang Viagoo may not be able to consolidate the VIEs in its consolidated financial statements as it may lose the ability to exert effective control over the VIEs and its shareholders, and it may lose the ability to receive economic benefits from the VIEs. Muliang Viagoo currently does not believe that any penalties imposed or actions taken by the PRC government would result in the liquidation of the Company, WFOEs, or the VIEs.

The following table sets forth the assets, liabilities, results of operations and cash flows of the VIEs and their subsidiaries, which are included in Muliang Viagoo’s consolidated financial statements after the elimination of intercompany balances and transactions:

Under the VIE Arrangements, Muliang Viagoo has the power to direct activities of the VIEs and can have assets transferred out of the VIEs. Therefore, Muliang Viagoo considers that there is no asset in the VIEs that can be used only to settle obligations of the VIEs, except for assets that correspond to the amount of the registered capital and PRC statutory reserves, if any. As the VIEs are incorporated as limited liability companies under the Company Law of the PRC, creditors of the VIEs do not have recourse to the general credit of Muliang Viagoo for any of the liabilities of the VIEs.

Currently, there is no contractual arrangement that requires Muliang Viagoo to provide additional financial support to the VIEs. However, as Muliang Viagoo conducts its businesses primarily based on the licenses held by the VIEs, Muliang Viagoo has provided and will continue to provide financial support to the VIEs.

Revenue-producing assets held by the VIEs include certain internet content provision (“ICP”) licenses and other licenses, domain names and trademarks. The ICP licenses and other licenses are required under relevant PRC laws, rules and regulations for the operation of internet businesses in the PRC, and, therefore, are integral to Muliang Viagoo’s operations. The ICP licenses require that core PRC trademark registrations and domain names are held by the VIEs that provide the relevant services.

Muliang Viagoo consolidates the following entities, including wholly-owned subsidiaries, Muliang HK, Shanghai Mufeng, and its wholly controlled variable interest entities, Muliang Industry, and Zhongbao, 60% controlled Agritech Development, 99% controlled Fukang, 65% controlled Zhonglian, 80% controlled Yunnan Muliang 100% controlled Anhui Muliang, 65% controlled Maguan, and 51% controlled Heilongjiang. Accordingly, the 40% equity interest holder of Agritech Development, 1% equity interest holders in Fukang, 35% equity interest holders in Zhonglian, 35% interest in Maguan, 20% interest in Yunnan Muliang, and 49% equity interest in Heilongjiang are accounted as non-controlling interest in the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

The variable interest entities consolidated for which the Company is deemed the primary beneficiary. All significant inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

For purposes of the statements of cash flows, the Company considers all highly liquid instruments purchased with a maturity of three months or less and money market accounts to be cash equivalents. In addition, the Company maintains cash with various financial institutions.

Accounts receivable are presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. In addition, the Company maintains allowances for doubtful accounts for estimated losses. The Company reviews the accounts receivable on a periodic basis and makes general and specific allowances when 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, a customer’s historical payment history, its current creditworthiness, and current economic trends. Accounts are written off after exhaustive efforts at collection.

Inventories, consisting of raw materials, work in process, and finished goods related to the Company’s products are stated at the lower of cost or market utilizing the weighted average method.

Plant and equipment are carried at cost and are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The cost of repairs and maintenance is expensed as incurred; major replacements and improvements are capitalized. When assets are retired or disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts, and any resulting gains or losses are included in income in the year of disposition. The Company examines the possibility of decreases in the value of fixed assets when events or changes in circumstances reflect the fact that their recorded value may not be recoverable.

Included in property and equipment is construction-in-progress, which consists of factory improvements and machinery pending installation and includes the costs of construction, machinery, and equipment, and any interest charges arising from borrowings used to finance these assets during the construction period or installation of the assets. No provision for depreciation is made on construction-in-progress until such time as the relevant assets are completed and ready for their intended use.

The estimated useful lives of the Company’s assets are as follows:

The apple orchard includes the rental of an apple farm, labor costs, fertilizers, apple seeds, apple seedlings, etc. The costs to purchase and cultivate apple trees and the expenditures related to labor and materials to plant apple trees until they become commercially productive are capitalized, which require a two-year period. The estimated production life for an apple tree is ten years, and the costs are depreciated without a residual value. Expenses incurred maintaining apple trees during the growth cycle until seedling apple trees or grafted varieties are fruited are capitalized into inventory and included in Work in Process—apple orchard, a component of inventories.

Depreciation expenses pertaining to apple trees will be included in inventory costs for those apples to be sold and ultimately become a component of the cost of goods sold. Therefore, similar to other assets, the failure of our apple trees to be serviceable over the entirety of their anticipated useful lives or to be sold at their anticipated residual value will negatively impact our operating results.

Included in the intangible assets are land use rights and non-patented technology. 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. The useful life for non-patented technology refers to the period during which economic benefits can be generated. Intangible assets are being amortized using the straight-line method over their lease terms or estimated useful life.

The estimated useful lives of the Company’s intangible assets are as follows:

The Company carries intangible assets at a cost less accumulated amortization. In accordance with US GAAP, the Company examines the possibility of decreases in the value of intangible assets 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 estimated useful life of 50 years for the land use rights.

In accordance with ASC Topic 360, the Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable, or at least annually. 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. The Company recorded no impairment charge for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, and 2022.

Advances from customers consist of prepayments from customers for merchandise that had not yet been shipped. The Company will recognize the deposits as revenue as customers take delivery of the goods, and title to the assets is transferred to customers in accordance with the Company’s revenue recognition policy.

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. Upon loss of control, the interest sold and interest retained, if any, will be reported at fair value with any gain or loss recognized in earnings.

On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASC 606 using the modified retrospective method. Accordingly, results for the reporting period beginning after January 1, 2018, are presented under ASC 606, while prior period amounts have not been adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with the Company’s historic accounting under Topic 605.

Management has determined that the adoption of ASC 606 did not impact the Company’s previously reported financial statements in any prior period, nor did it result in a cumulative effect adjustment to opening retained earnings.

Revenue for the sale of products is derived from contracts with customers, which primarily include the sale of fertilizer products and environmental protection equipment. The Company’s sales arrangements do not contain variable consideration. Instead, the Company recognizes revenue at a point in time based on management’s evaluation of when performance obligations under the terms of a contract with the customer are satisfied and control of the products has been transferred to the customer. For the vast majority of the Company’s product sales, the performance obligations and control of the products transfer to the customer when products are delivered and customer acceptance is made.

ASC Topic 825-10 “Financial Instruments” allows entities to voluntarily choose to measure certain financial assets and liabilities at fair value (fair value option). The fair value option may be elected on an instrument-by-instrument basis and is irrevocable unless a new election date occurs. If the fair value option is elected for an instrument, unrealized gains and losses for that instrument should be reported in earnings at each subsequent reporting date. Accordingly, the Company did not elect to apply the fair value option to any outstanding instruments.  

The following table summarizes the carrying values of the Company’s financial instruments:

Pursuant to the laws applicable to PRC law, the Company is required to participate in a government-mandated multi-employer defined contribution plan pursuant to which certain retirement, medical, and other welfare benefits are provided to employees. Chinese labor regulations require the Company to pay the local labor bureau a monthly contribution at a stated contribution rate based on the basic monthly compensation of qualified employees. The relevant local labor bureau is responsible for meeting all retirement benefit obligations; the Company has no further commitments beyond its monthly contribution.

Pursuant to the laws applicable to the PRC, the Company must make appropriations from after-tax profit to the non-distributable “statutory surplus reserve fund.” Subject to certain cumulative limits, the “statutory surplus reserve fund” requires annual appropriations of 10% of after-tax profit until the aggregated appropriations reach 50% of the registered capital (as determined under accounting principles generally accepted in the PRC (“PRC GAAP”) at each year-end). For foreign-invested enterprises and joint ventures in the PRC, annual appropriations should be made to the “reserve fund.” For foreign-invested enterprises, the annual appropriation for the “reserve fund” cannot be less than 10% of after-tax profits until the aggregated appropriations reach 50% of the registered capital (as determined under PRC GAAP at each year-end). If the Company has accumulated loss from prior periods, the Company can use the current period net income after tax to offset against the accumulated loss.

The standard, “Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information,” codified with ASC-280, requires certain financial and supplementary information to be disclosed on an annual and interim basis for each reportable segment of an enterprise. The Company believes that it operates in one business segment, which is geographically located in China.

In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02 (ASU 2016-02) “Leases (Topic 842)”. ASU 2016-02 requires a lessee to recognize in the statement of financial position a liability to make lease payments (the lease liability) and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. ASU 2016-02 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. For finance leases, a lessee is required to do the following:

For operating leases, a lessee is required to do the following:

In July 2018, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2018-11 (ASU 2018-11), which amends ASC 842 so that entities may elect not to recast their comparative periods in transition (the “Comparatives Under 840 Option”). ASU 2018-11 allows entities to change their date of initial application to the beginning of the period of adoption. In doing so, entities would:

In addition, the FASB also issued a series of amendments to ASU 2016-02 that address the transition methods available and clarify the guidance for lessor costs and other aspects of the new lease standard.

The management has reviewed the accounting pronouncements and adopted the new standard on January 1, 2019, using the modified retrospective method of adoption.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12 - Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. This ASU provides an exception to the general methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period when a year-to-date loss exceeds the anticipated loss for the year. This update also (1) requires an entity to recognize a franchise tax (or similar tax) that is partially based on income as an income-based tax and account for any incremental amount incurred as a non-income-based tax, (2) requires an entity to evaluate when a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill should be considered part of the business combination in which goodwill was originally recognized for accounting purposes and when it should be considered a separate transaction, and (3) requires that an entity reflect the effect of an enacted change in tax laws or rates in the annual effective tax rate computation in the interim period that includes the enactment date. The standard is effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of the adoption on its consolidated financial statements..

In February 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-02, “Financial Instruments — Credit Losses (Topic 326) and Leases (topic 842) Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 119 and Update to SEC Section on Effective Date Related to Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, Leases (topic 842)”. This ASU provides guidance regarding methodologies, documentation, and internal controls related to expected credit losses. This ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.

The Company believes that there were no other accounting standards recently issued that had or are expected to have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.