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Joint Ventures

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Disclosure Of Joint Ventures Explanatory [Abstract]

Disclosure of joint ventures [text block]

Note 9

Joint Ventures

9.1

Policy for the accounting of equity accounted investment in joint ventures

The method for recognizing joint ventures is that in which participation is initially recorded at cost, and subsequently adjusted, considering changes after the acquisition in the portion of the entity’s net assets that correspond to the investor. Profit or loss for the period will include the portion of the entity’s entire profit or loss that correspond to the investor. For these joint ventures there is no quoted market price to measure these investments. (See Note 3.20)

There are no significant restrictions on these joint ventures for the transfer of funds as payment of dividends or others.

At the date of issuance of these financial statements, SQM is not aware of the existence of any significant contingent liabilities associated with the partnerships in joint ventures.

9.2

Disclosures of interest in joint ventures

Operations conducted in 2018

During the first quarter of 2018, Minera Exar S.A. increased its capital by ThUS$13,000. The entity is a joint venture and contributions were made on January 25, 2018 (ThUS$6,000) and February 14, 2018 (ThUS$7,000) by SQM Potasio S.A. and Lithium Americas Corporation (LAC). Both partners share 50% ownership of the respective company, each contributing the same share in these capital increases.

In April 2018, Minera Exar made a new capital increase of ThUS$7,000, which was contributed in equal parts by its partners.

On March 14, 2018, the company SQM Vitas Plantacote B.V. was closed.

As of the date of the presentation of these financial statements, Minera Exar S.A. has changed its functional currency from the Argentine peso to the United States dollar.

On May 15, 2018, the subsidiary Soquimich European Holdings BV, signed a joint venture agreement with PAVONI & C., SpA in Italy. US$6.8 million were paid for a 50% share.

The goodwill generated in the purchase of this joint venture was ThUS$3,206.

In D

ecember 2018

, SQM S.A. sold the share it held in

Minera

Exar

S.A. generating a pre-tax profit of ThUS$

14,507

, which was presented in the Consolidated Statement of Income by Function in Other gains (losses) (See Note

25.6)

The subsidiary SQM Industrial S.A., has recorded an impairment loss of ThUS$8,802, corresponding to its Sichuan SQM-Migao Chemical Fertilizer Co. Ltd. joint venture. The impairment is disclosed by deducting the value of the aforementioned investment, in the caption “Equity method investments".

Operations conducted in 2017

On December 1, 2017, SQM Potasio S.A. recognized the goodwill value generated by the acquisition of 50% of the joint venture Minera Exar S.A. in the amount ThUS$6,205.

On October 6, 2017, a capital contribution of ThUS$13,300 (ThARS230,422,5) was made in mining company EXAR S.A., which is 50% owned by the subsidiary SQM Potasio S.A. The functional currency of EXAR S.A. is the Argentine peso (ARS). This contribution had no impact on the Company's consolidated results.

9.3

Investment in joint ventures accounted for under the equity method of accounting

					Country of		Share of interest in			Dividends received
Joint venture	Description of the nature of the relationship		Domicile		incorporation		ownership			12/31/2018		12/31/2017
										ThUS$		ThUS$
Sichuan SQM Migao Chemical Fertilizers Co. Ltda.		Production and distribution of soluble fertilizers,		Huangjing Road, Dawan Town, Qingbaijiang District, Chengdu Municipality, Sichuan Province		China		50	%		-		-
Coromandel SQM India		Production and distribution of potassium nitrate,		1-2-10 Sardar Patel Road, Secunderabad – 500003 Andhra Pradesh		India		50	%		-		-
SQM Vitas Fzco.		Production and commercialization of specialty plant and animal nutrition and industrial hygiene,		Jebel ALI Free Zone P.O. Box 18222, Dubai		United Arab Emirates		50	%		-		-
SQM Star Qingdao Corp Nutrition, Co. Ltd.		Production and distribution of nutrient plant solutions with specialties NPK soluble		Longquan Town, Jimo City, Qingdao Municipality, Shangdong Province		China		50	%		-		-
SQM Vitas Holland B.V. (1)		Without information		Herikerbergweg 238, 1101 CM Amsterdam Zuidoost		Holland		50	%		-		-
Pavoni & C. Spa		Production of specialized fertilizers and other products for distribution in Italy and other countries		Corso Italia 172, 95129 Catania (CT), Sicily		Italy		50	%		-		-
Covalent Lithium Pty Ltd.		development and operation of the Mt Holland Lithium project, which will include the construction of a lithium extraction and refining mine		L18, 109 St. Georges Tce Perth WA 6000 PO Box Z5200 St Georges Tce Perth WA 6831		Australia		50	%		-		-
Minera Exar S.A.		Exploration and exploitation of minerals, processing and trading of such minerals		Dr. Sabín 1082 Ciudad de Nieva – San Salvador de Jujuy- Jujuy- República Argentina		Argentina		50	%		-		-

(1)

During May 2016, SQM Vitas Holland B.V. sold its interest in SQM Vitas Spain, to SQM Iberian S.A. resulting in the latter obtaining 100% in this transaction generating a loss of ThUS$104.

The companies described in the following table are related to the following joint ventures:

(1)

SQM Vitas Fzco.

(2)

Pavoni & C Spa.

(3)

SQM Vitas Holland B.V.

		Domicile		Country of incorporation		Share of interest in ownership			Dividends received
SQM Vitas Brazil Agroindustria (1)	Production and commercialization of specialty plant and animal nutrition and industrial hygiene,		Via Cndeias, Km, 01 Sem Numero, Lote 4, Bairro Cia Norte, Candeias, Bahia,		Brazil		49.99	%		-	-
SQM Vitas Peru S.A.C (1),	Production and commercialization of specialty plant and animal nutrition and industrial hygiene		Av, Juan de Arona 187, Torre B, Oficina 301-II, San Isidro, Lima		Peru		50	%		-	-
Arpa Speciali S.R.L. (2)	Production of specialty fertilizers and other products for distribution in Italy and other countries.		Mantova (MN) via Cremona 27 Int. 25		Italy		50.48	%		-	-
SQM Vitas Plantacote B.V. (3)	Production and commercialization of controlled-released fertilizers		Herikerbergweg 238, 1101 CM Amsterdam Zuidoost		Holland		50	%		-	-

Joint Venture	Final reporting period date		Accounting method

Coromandel SQM India		December 31, 2018		Equity method
SQM Vitas Fzco.		December 31, 2018		Equity method
SQM Star Qingdao Corp Nutrition Co., Ltd.		December 31, 2018		Equity method
SQM Vitas Brazil Agroindustria		December 31, 2018		Equity method
SQM Vitas Perú S.A.C.		December 31, 2018		Equity method
SQM Vitas Holland B.V.		December 31, 2018		Equity method
Pavoni & C. Spa.		December 31, 2018		Equity method
Arpa Speciali S.R.L.		December 31, 2018		Equity method
Covalent Lithium Pty Ltd.		December 31, 2018		Equity method

Joint Venture	Equity-accounted investees						Share in profit (loss) of associates and joint ventures accounted for using the equity method
	12/31/2018		12/31/2017		12/31/2016		12/31/2018			12/31/2017			12/31/2016
	ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$

Sichuan SQM Migao Chemical Fertilizers Co. Ltd. (1)		1,992		11,444		12,150		(650	)		(535	)		(1,372	)
Coromandel SQM India		1,729		1,633		1,499		174			165			435
SQM Vitas Fzco.		20,202		19,478		17,956		1,781			1,502			3,458
SQM Star Qingdao Corp. Nutrition Co. Ltd.		3,168		2,980		2,618		188			361			163
SQM Vitas Holland		1,345		1,429		1,269		(14	)		(18	)		171
Minera Exar S.A. (1)		-		33,065		25,000		(206	)		(27	)		-
Pavoni & C., Spa		7,084		-		-		(39	)		-			-
Covalent Lithium Pty Ltd.		53		-		-		36			-			-
Total		35,573		70,029		60,492		1,270			1,448			2,855

Joint Venture	Share on other comprehensive income of associates and joint ventures accounted for using the equity method, net of tax								Share on total other comprehensive income of associates and joint ventures accounted for using the equity method
	12/31/2018			12/31/2017			12/31/2016		12/31/2018			12/31/2017			12/31/2016
	ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$		ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$

Sichuan SQM Migao Chemical Fertilizers Co. Ltd. (1)		-			-			-		(650	)		(535	)		(1,372	)
Coromandel SQM India		-			-			-		174			165			435
SQM Vitas Fzco.		-			(5	)		449		1,781			1,497			3,907
SQM Star Qingdao Corp. Nutrition Co. Ltd.		1			-			-		189			361			163
SQM Vitas Holland		-			-			-		(14	)		(18	)		171
Minera Exar S.A. (1)		(1	)		-			-		(206	)		(27	)		-
Pavoni & C., Spa		-			-			-		(40	)		-			-
Covalent Lithium Pty Ltd.		-			-			-		53			-			-
Total		-			(5	)		449		1,287			1,443			3,304

(1)

As of December 31, 2018, the table below does not present investments in joint ventures transferred to the item non-current assets or groups of assets classified as held for sale. For more information, see Note 31.

Joint Venture	Equity-accounted investees						Share in profit (loss) of associates and joint ventures accounted for using the equity method
	12/31/2018		12/31/2017		12/31/2016		12/31/2018			12/31/2017			12/31/2016
	ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$

SQM Vitas Brazil Agroindustria (1)		12,405		11,003		9,343		2,879			1,753			4,570
SQM Vitas Peru S.A.C (1)		5,188		5,961		5,964		(550	)		(216	)		815
SQM Vitas Plantacote B.V. (2)		-		669		588		-			(1	)		187
Arpa Speciali S.R.L. (3)		122		-		-		(88	)		-			-
Total		17,715		17,633		15,895		2,241			1,536			5,572

Joint Venture	Share in other comprehensive income of associates and joint ventures accounted for using the equity method, net of tax								Share in total other comprehensive income of associates and joint ventures accounted for using the equity method
	12/31/2018			12/31/2017			12/31/2016		12/31/2018			12/31/2017			12/31/2016
	ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$		ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$

SQM Vitas Brazil Agroindustria (1)		(661	)		(51	)		2,845		779			826			5,130
SQM Vitas Peru S.A.C (1)		-			-			-		(275	)		(108	)		408
SQM Vitas Plantacote B.V. (2)		-			-			-		-			(1	)		(80	)
Arpa Speciali S.R.L. (3)		-			-			-		-			-			-
Total		(661	)		(51	)		2,845		504			717			5,458

The following companies are subsidiaries of

(1)

SQM Vitas Fzco.

(2)

SQM Vitas Holland

(3)

Pavoni &C.SPA

9.4

Assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses from joint ventures:

	12/31/2018
Joint Venture	Assets				Liabilities						Gain (loss) from			Other
	Current		Non-current		Current		Non-current		Revenue		continuing operations			comprehensive income			Comprehensive income
	ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$
							-
Sichuan SQM Migao Chemical Fertilizers Co. Ltd.		28,699		6,098		13,281		-		12		(1,372	)		-			(1,372	)
Coromandel SQM India		5,656		852		3,050		-		11,605		348			-			348
SQM Vitas Fzco.		25,489		17,592		2,678		-		16,583		3,561			1			3,562
SQM Star Qingdao Corp. Nutrition Co. Ltd.		7,754		114		1,533		-		13,004		377			-			377
SQM Vitas Brazil Agroindustria		36,648		7,566		31,808		-		82,625		2,879			(1,322	)		1,557
SQM Vitas Peru S.A.C		22,365		7,785		18,996		5,966		28,619		(550	)		-			(550	)
SQM Vitas Holland B.V.		2,692		-		1		-		-		(28	)		-			(28	)
SQM Vitas Plantacote B.V.		-		-		-		-		-		-			-			-
Pavoni & C. Spa		10,062		6,490		8,098		698		15,461		(79	)		-			(79	)
Arpa Speciali S.R.L.		-		-		-		-		-		-			-			-
Covalent Lithium Pty Ltd.		239		100		233		-		-		106			-			106
Total		139,604		46,597		79,678		6,664		167,909		5,242			(1,321	)		3,921

	12/31/2017
Joint Venture	Assets				Liabilities						Gain (loss) from			Other
	Current		Non-current		Current		Non-current		Revenue		continuing operations			comprehensive income			Comprehensive income
	ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$

Sichuan SQM Migao Chemical Fertilizers Co. Ltda.		31,461		6,656		15,228		-		13,326		(1,070	)		-			(1,070	)
Coromandel SQM India		6,659		862		4,205		53		10,381		332			-			332
SQM Vitas Fzco.		23,699		17,479		2,221		-		15,518		3,003			(9	)		2,994
SQM Star Qingdao Corp. Nutrition Co. Ltd.		6,941		171		1,152		-		12,631		721			-			721
SQM Vitas Brazil Agroindustria		30,303		8,453		27,752		-		60,131		1,753			(101	)		1,652
SQM Vitas Peru S.A.C		20,933		8,534		17,380		6,126		35,299		(216	)		-			(216	)
SQM Vitas Holland B.V.		2,190		669		-		-		-		(36	)		-			(36	)
SQM Vitas Plantacote B.V.		679		-		10		-		-		(1	)		-			(1	)
Minera Exar S.A.		19,277		73,114		38,670		-		-		(53	)		-			(53	)
Total		142,142		115,938		106,618		6,179		147,286		4,433			(110	)		4,323

	12/31/2016
Joint Venture	Assets				Liabilities						Gain (loss) from			Other
	Current		Non-current		Current		Non-current		Revenue		continuing operations			comprehensive income		Comprehensive income
	ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$			ThUS$		ThUS$

Sichuan SQM Migao Chemical Fertilizers Co. Ltda.		43,639		7,399		26,738		-		16,051		(2,744	)		-		(2,744	)
Coromandel SQM India		4,485		847		2,334		-		8,034		870			-		870
SQM Vitas Fzco.		20,896		16,395		1,380		-		16,210		6,916			897		7,813
SQM Star Qingdao Corp. Nutrition Co. Ltd.		5,733		203		697		-		7,553		325			-		325
SQM Vitas Brazil Agroindustria		21,511		8,917		21,085		-		63,055		4,570			5,690		10,260
SQM Vitas Peru S.A.C		23,598		8,931		20,333		6,231		36,926		815			-		815
SQM Vitas Holland B.V.		1,961		588		11		-		-		342			-		342
SQM Vitas Plantacote B.V.		619		-		31		-		-		(159	)		-		(159	)
Total		122,442		43,280		72,609		6,231		147,829		10,935			6,587		17,522

9.5

Other Joint Venture disclosures:

	Cash and cash equivalents				Other current financial liabilities				Other non-current financial liabilities
	12/31/2018		12/31/2017		12/31/2018		12/31/2017		12/31/2018		12/31/2017
	ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$		ThUS$$

Sichuan SQM Migao Chemical Fertilizers Co. Ltd.		106		6,198		-		-		-		-
Coromandel SQM India		308		1,118		-		-		-		-
SQM Vitas Fzco.		19,312		15,307		-		-		-		-
SQM Star Qingdao Corp. Nutrition Co. Ltd.		4,543		3,675		-		-		-		-
SQM Vitas Brazil Agroindustria		1,869		5,139		13,380		7,342		-		-
SQM Vitas Peru S.A.C.		371		687		3,819		2,215		801		1,372
SQM Vitas Holland B.V.		2,692		2,190		-		-		-		-
SQM Vitas Plantacote B.V.		-		679		-		-		-		-
Minera Exar S.A.		-		9,189		-		-		-		-
Pavoni &C., Spa		407		-		5,464		-		-		-
Arpa Speciali S.R.L.		-		-		-		-		-		-
Covalent Lithium Pty Ltd.		156		-		-		-		-		-
Total		29,764		44,182		22,663		9,557		801		1,372

	Depreciation and amortization expense									Interest expense									Income tax expense, continuing operations
	12/31/2018			12/31/2017			12/31/2016			12/31/2018			12/31/2017			12/31/2016			12/31/2018			12/31/2017			12/31/2016
	ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$			ThUS$

Sichuan SQM Migao Chemical Fertilizers Co. Ltd.		(948	)		(696	)		(691	)		(1	)		(25	)		(433	)		97			303			200
Coromandel SQM India		445			-			-			(9	)		(16	)		(49	)		(38	)		(485	)		(44	)
SQM Vitas Fzco.		(509	)		(553	)		(717	)		(8	)		(19	)		(16	)		-			-			-
SQM Star Qingdao Corp. Nutrition Co. Ltd.		(67	)		(68	)		(64	)		-			-			(1	)		(187	)		(174	)		(195	)
SQM Vitas Brazil Agroindustria		(408	)		(453	)		(438	)		(886	)		(1,253	)		(2,127	)		(117	)		(283	)		(337	)
SQM Vitas Peru S.A.C.		(347	)		(375	)		(82	)		(425	)		(432	)		(323	)		(230	)		(214	)		(362	)
SQM Vitas Holland B.V.		-			-			-			-			-			-			-			-			-
SQM Vitas Plantacote B.V.		-			-			-			-			(1	)		(1	)		-			-			-
Minera Exar S.A.		-			(523	)		-			-			(32	)		-			-			(620	)		-
Pavoni & C., Spa		(542	)		-			-			(335	)		-			-			-			-			-
Arpa Speciali S.R.L.		-			-			-			-			-			-			-			-			-
Covalent Lithium Pty Ltd.		(16	)		-			-			(5	)		-			-			(46	)		-			-
Total		(2,392	)		(2,668	)		(1,992	)		(1,669	)		(1,778	)		(2,950	)		(521	)		(1,473	)		(738	)

The basis of preparation of the financial information of joint ventures corresponds to the amounts included in the financial statements in conformity with the entity’s IFRS.

9.6 Joint Operation

In 2017, we continued to expand our operations outside Chile and, together with our subsidiary SQM Australia Pty, we entered into an agreement to acquire 50% of the assets of the Mount Holland lithium project in Western Australia. We entered into a 50/50 unincorporated joint operation with Kidman Resources Limited (“Kidman”), the Mt Holland Lithium Project, to design, construct and operate a mine, concentrator and refinery to produce approximately 45,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide per year. Kidman retained the exclusive right to exploit gold within the project area. SQM Australia Pty committed to pay a price of US$70 million for the 50% of the Mt Holland assets, which was split into an initial payment of US$ 15 million and a deferred payment of US$ 55 million, both payments subject to certain conditions precedent. SQM Australia paid an additional (i) US$10 million as part of the initial payment, and (ii) US$30 million once the deferred payment took place.

All payments subject to conditions under the purchase agreement with Kidman were executed by December 2018.