GLG Life Tech Corporation Announces Formation of Joint Venture with Luxiang Sugar and Xiaogang Health

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 25, 2021 / GLG Life Tech Corporation (TSX:GLG) ("GLG" or the "Company"), a global and agricultural leader in the natural zero-calorie sweetener industry, committed to the sustainable development of high-quality zero-calorie natural sweeteners, is pleased to announce the formation of a new joint venture through its Chinese subsidiary, Anhui Runhai Biotechnology Joint Stock Company, Ltd. ("Runhai").

The joint venture, operating under the name Xinjiang Huanyu Technology Co., Ltd. ("Huanyu"), brings together Xinjiang Luxiang Sugar Industry Co. ("Luxiang"), Ltd., Xiao Gang HZ Health Industrial Park ("Xiao Gang"), and Runhai in a vertically integrated endeavor to bring a suite of consumer natural sweetener products as well as expanded business-to-business stevia sales to the domestic China market.

Huanyu will bring together upstream agricultural resources in support of downstream production for both the B2B and B2C sectors, with specialization in and integration of harvesting to bulk manufacturing to production of a variety of end customer products. Luxiang, located in Northwest China, where the soil, water, and sunlight are optimal for growing high-quality stevia leaf and other agricultural products, will produce and provide the agricultural raw materials for the joint venturers. Runhai, with its 18 years of technical expertise in manufacturing stevia products, will use this premium stevia leaf for producing its high-purity stevia extracts and other specialized stevia products - both in support of the joint venture as well as in support of GLG's international customers. Xiaogang, with its history of producing and selling high-quality low/zero-calorie sweetener consumer products, will use raw material inputs from both Luxiang and Runhai to produce its suite of healthful consumer products. Integrating agriculture with both B2B and B2C product manufacturing streams offers Huanyu a uniquely complementary advantage in China.

Under the terms of the agreement, Luxiang, a state-owned company, will be the majority stakeholder with a 51% share. Runhai will have a 26% share and Xiao Gang will have a 23% share. Luxiang will provide working capital for Huanyu's production needs as well as the production facilities. Runhai is providing key idle equipment from its facilities and specialized know-how in the production of stevia products leveraging a variety of steviol glycosides for sale to food and beverage companies across China. Xiao Gang has particular equipment and expertise in the natural products space that it will contribute for Huanyu's consumer products development, production, and sales.

While Luxiang will be a major customer of Huanyu's, the joint venturers are planning on sales of their products to customers and companies throughout China, both off the shelf to consumers and to food and beverage companies looking for high-quality and innovative natural sweeteners for use in their own products.

Huanyu anticipates production commencing in 2023. In the meantime, it plans to access up to 500M RMB from government funding available to support agricultural initiatives. This funding, if received, will help the joint venturers to fund their operation. Furthermore, in Runhai's case, this funding can be used to substantially, if not entirely, resolve long-standing debt issues, as the joint venturers have as a collective goal to clear Runhai of its debts. This will put Runhai, and consequently the Company, on much more solid financial footing. Dr. Zhang, the Compnay's Chairman and CEO, commented "Our new joint venture offers new and greater opportunities for GLG to access the domestic markets in China as well as to improve our company's balance sheet. We are excited to partner with Luxiang Sugar and Xiaogang Health, both ambitious companies excited to bring healthful products to our Chinese populace."

Runhai will continue producing products for GLG's international customers through its active production facilities located in Qingdao and Anhui provinces. Serving GLG's customers with high-quality products remains a central focus for Runhai and for GLG; the joint venture opportunity is entirely additive to the Company's business plans.

For further information, please contact:

Simon Springett, Investor Relations
Phone: +1 (604) 285-2602 ext. 101
Fax: +1 (604) 285-2606
Email: ir@glglifetech.com

About GLG Life Tech Corporation

GLG Life Tech Corporation is a global leader in the supply of high-purity zero calorie natural sweeteners including stevia and monk fruit extracts used in food, beverages, and dietary supplements. GLG's vertically integrated operations, which incorporate our Fairness to Farmers program and emphasize sustainability throughout, cover each step in the stevia and monk fruit supply chains including non-GMO seed and seedling breeding, natural propagation, growth and harvest, proprietary extraction and refining, marketing and distribution of the finished products. Additionally, to further meet the varied needs of the food and beverage and supplement industries, GLG's Naturals+ product line enables it to supply a host of complementary ingredients reliably sourced through its supplier network in China. For further information, please visit www.glglifetech.com.

Forward-looking statements: This press release may contain certain information that may constitute "forward-looking statements" and "forward looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or words and phrases that state or indicate that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.

While the Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations about future events, the statements are not guarantees of the Company's future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include amongst others the effects of general economic conditions, consumer demand for our products and new orders from our customers and distributors, changing foreign exchange rates and actions by government authorities, uncertainties associated with legal proceedings and negotiations, industry supply levels, competitive pricing pressures and misjudgments in the course of preparing forward-looking statements. Specific reference is made to the risks set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form published March 31, 2022. In light of these factors, the forward-looking events discussed in this press release might not occur.

Further, although the Company has attempted to identify 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. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

As there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: GLG Life Tech Corporation