Itronics Remains Open; Announces That It Is an 'Essential Business' Under Nevada COVID-19 Safety Guidelines
RENO, Nevada, March 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Itronics Inc. (OTC: ITRO), an emerging "Clean Tech Materials" growth Company that manufactures GOLD'n GRO Multi-Nutrient Fertilizers and produces Silver, today announced that it is an "Essential Business" under state of Nevada guidelines issued by the Nevada Department of Public Safety on March 20, 2020. Itronics is in more than one of the 16 Critical Infrastructure Sectors designated by the Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), "Food and Agriculture," as a manufacturer of fertilizers used in the production of crops, and a recycler of critical minerals.
According to CISA, "if you work in a critical infrastructure industry, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security, you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule." Normal operations are to be appropriately modified to account for workforce and customer protection guidance. Itronics plans to continue its normal operations as modified to provide for workforce and customer safety.
"We are providing this update for our shareholders and other stakeholders to reassure them that we will do our best to continue operating during this period of great uncertainty due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus," said Dr. John Whitney, President. "Our GOLD'n GRO multi-nutrient fertilizers improve crop quality and yield and we are becoming a much more important 'high quality micronutrient' supplier for food crop farming in the nationally important vegetable, fruit, and nut production markets in California."
California has issued COVID-19 safety guidelines that are similar to those issued by the State of Nevada. The State of California guidelines state: "The federal government has identified 16 critical infrastructure sectors whose assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, are considered so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, economic security, public health or safety, or any combination thereof." California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered that Californians working in these 16 critical infrastructure sectors may continue their work because of the importance of these sectors to Californians' health and well-being.
Itronics sells most of its GOLD'n GRO multinutrient fertilizers into the California markets with lessor amounts sold to support Nevada farm production. Itronics intends to do its best to continue to support crop production in Nevada and California during this time of great uncertainty.
The Company's operations are fully integrated and include pilot scale e-scrap (circuit board) refining which recovers critical minerals. "We have an on-going need for scrapped circuit boards to sustain our operations, making Nevada circuit board recycling an essential support function for our operations," said Dr. Whitney. "That makes Disability Resources/New2U Computers, as a circuit board supplier to Itronics, an essential Nevada business as a supplier to sustain our operations as provided by CISA guidelines." Recycling is an essential business under the regulations issued on March 20th by the Nevada Department of Public Safety, and approved by Governor Sisolak.
Itronics is a specialty fertilizer manufacturer and requires access to a variety of raw materials from both primary and secondary sources. Itronics raw materials are primarily sourced within the United States, with some supplies from Canada, Mexico, and some imported goods that are available on a large scale from non-Chinese foreign sources.
"Itronics management had the foresight to eliminate all Chinese sources of raw material. The decision was made more than a year ago to source GOLD'n GRO raw materials primarily from domestic or North American sources," stated Dr. Whitney. "We sell into America's largest vegetable, fruit, and nut farming areas and believe that full scale farming will continue. We wanted to be able to assure our customers that our raw material sourcing is as secure as possible. Additionally, there may be pressure to increase food production in California based on the nation's need to reduce foreign reliance on its food sources which would make raw material supply security even more important. Itronics is currently seeing increased GOLD'n GRO sales due to the fertilizer's proven effectiveness and we anticipate continuing growth as the year progresses."
The Company's sales are on a path that could produce a two to three times increase this year. However, economic and labor uncertainties created by the state and national need to restrain the spread of the COVID-19 are so great that the forecasts and guidance issued earlier this year may not be achieved in the near term. The Company expects that its long-term plan and forecast that was recently issued can be fulfilled, although there may be delays in the Silver production and Rock Kleen portion of the plan. The Company believes there is high risk that the national and world economies will be plunged into recession by the effects of the COVID-19 virus and the significant negative economic effects of some of the unavoidable government responses being made in an effort to control the spread of the virus.
"Getting the Country through this time of crisis requires strong teamwork and cooperation from everyone. We are proud to be part of that effort and our thoughts and prayers are with the nation and particularly with those directly affected by the virus," said Dr. Whitney.
About Itronics
Headquartered in Reno, Nevada, Itronics Inc. is an emerging Cleantech Growth Company that uses proprietary multi-nutrient fertilizer manufacturing technologies to produce GOLD'n GRO multi-nutrient fertilizers and breakthrough Zero Waste Technologies to recover fertilizer ingredients, silver bullion, and silver-bearing glass from waste streams that contain silver, gold, copper, zinc, tin, and other metals. The Company's goal is to achieve profitable green technology driven organic growth in specialty GOLD'n GRO fertilizers, silver, zinc, and minerals. The Company's technologies maximize the recovery and uses of metals and minerals and by doing this maximize sustainability.
The Company's environmentally friendly award winning GOLD'n GRO liquid fertilizers, which are extensively used in agriculture, can be used for lawns and houseplants, and are available at the Company's "e-store" on Amazon.Com at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_lawn-garden?ie+UTF8&field-brandtextbin=GOLD%27n+GRO&node+2972638011. Due to expanded retail customer interest, GOLD'n GRO fertilizer may now be purchased in Reno, Nevada at "Buy Nevada First Gift Shop", 4001 S. Virginia St.
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("Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release contains or may contain forward-looking statements such as statements regarding the Company's growth and profitability, growth strategy, liquidity and access to public markets, operating expense reduction, and trends in the industry in which the Company operates. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in risks, uncertainties or assumptions underlying or affecting such statements, or for prospective events that may have a retroactive effect.)
Contact:
Paul Knopick
+1 888-795-6336
SOURCE Itronics Inc.
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