1. We have audited the accompanying standalone financial statements of Heritage Foods Limited (‘the Company’), which comprise the Standalone Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2025, the Standalone Statement of Profit and Loss (including Other Comprehensive Income), the Standalone Statement of Cash Flow and the Standalone Statement of Changes in Equity for the year then ended, and notes to the standalone financial statements, including material accounting policy information and other explanatory information.
2. In our opinion and to the best of our information and according to the explanations given to us, the aforesaid standalone financial statements give the information required by the Companies Act, 2013 (‘the Act’) in the manner so required and give a true and fair view in conformity with the Indian Accounting Standards (‘Ind AS’) specified under Section 133 of the Act read with the Companies (Indian Accounting Standards) Rules, 2015 and other accounting principles generally accepted in India, of the state of affairs of the Company as at 31 March 2025, and its profit (including other comprehensive income), its cash flows and the changes in equity for the year ended on that date.
Basis for Opinion
3. We conducted our audit in accordance with the Standards on Auditing specified under Section 143(10) of the Act. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Standalone Financial Statements section of our report. We are independent of the Company in accordance with the Code of Ethics issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (‘ICAI’) together with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the standalone financial statements under the provisions of the Act and the rules thereunder, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements and the Code of Ethics. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Key Audit Matter
4. Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the standalone financial statements of the current period. These matters were addressed in the context of our audit of the standalone financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters.
5. We have determined the matters described below to be the key audit matters to be communicated in our report.
Key audit matters
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How our audit addressed the key audit matters
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Revenue recognition
Refer Note 3(c) to the accompanying standalone financial statements for material accounting policy information on revenue recognition and Note 24 for details of revenue from operations.
Revenue from sale of goods is recognised in accordance with the principles of Ind AS 115, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (‘Ind AS 115’), at a point in time when control of the products being sold is transferred to the customer and when there are no longer any unfulfilled obligations.
The Company also focuses on revenue as a key performance measure, which could create an incentive for overstating revenue resulting from the pressure on management to achieve performance targets at the reporting period end. Considering the significance of amount, multiplicity of Company’s products, volume of transactions including discounts offered, size of distribution network, nature of customers and significant attention required from us, revenue recognition is determined to be an area involving significant risk in line with the requirements of Standards on Auditing and has been determined as a key audit matter for the current year audit.
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Our audit procedures relating to revenue recognition included,
but was not limited to, the following:
• Understood the process of revenue recognition and assessed the appropriateness of the revenue recognition accounting policies adopted by the management in accordance with Ind AS 115;
• Evaluated the design, integrity of the general information and technology control environment and tested the operating effectiveness of Company’s manual and IT application controls in respect of revenue recognition, including discounts;
• Performed substantive testing on a sample of revenue transactions recorded during the year by verifying the underlying documents, such as customer acknowledged invoices and shipping documents, as appropriate to ensure the accuracy of revenue recorded during the year;
• Performed substantive testing on a sample of discount transactions recorded during the year by verifying the terms and conditions of the underlying approved scheme and credit notes, basis which the discount was granted;
• Performed analytical procedures such as customer group analysis, price volume variance analysis, geographical area analysis, sales made during the specific period before the year end etc. for the revenue recorded considering both qualitative and quantitative factors to identify any unusual trends or any unusual items; and
• Evaluated adequacy and appropriateness of disclosures made in the standalone financial statements in accordance with applicable accounting standards.
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Key audit matters
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How our audit addressed the key audit matters
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(b) Impairment assessment of investment in Joint venture (Heritage
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Our audit procedures relating to impairment assessment of
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Novandie Foods Private Limited)
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investment in joint venture included, but was not limited to,
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Refer Note 3(j) to the accompanying standalone financial
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the following:
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statements for material accounting policy information on
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•
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Evaluated the design and tested the operating
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impairment assessment and Note 35 for financial disclosures.
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effectiveness of controls over the management’s
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As described in Note 9, the Company has an investment amounting to
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assessment of the impairment indicators and the
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INR 498.85 million in a joint venture, Heritage Novandie Foods Private
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impairment testing performed;
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Limited (“HNFPL”). The joint venture has been incurring losses year on
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•
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Held discussions with the members of the Board of
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year, leading to substantial erosion of its net worth, which has been
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Directors and Management and understood the nature
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identified as an impairment indicator by the management in accordance
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of the proposed transaction and business rationale for
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with the principles of Ind AS 36, Impairment of Assets (‘Ind AS 36’).
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acquisition of controlling stake in HNFPL;
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In view of above, the management of the Company, during the current
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•
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Enquired with the management the reasons for their
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year ended 31 March 2025, has carried out an impairment assessment
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judgement to use fair value less costs of disposal as the
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to assess recoverability of the aforesaid investment in accordance
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recoverable amount for the impairment and understood
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with Ind AS 36 by estimating the recoverable amount of investment
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the value in use computed by the management
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in HNFPL.
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approximate the aforesaid fair value. Further, we
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Further, in the Board Meeting of HNFPL held on 24 March 2025, the
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assessed the reasonableness of aforesaid management
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Board evaluated various options given the limited market potential for
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judgement in accordance with the requirements of Ind
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the joint venture’s operations and financial non-viability. Accordingly,
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AS 36 and Ind AS 113;
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the Board of HNFPL has approved a proposal, subject to execution of
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•
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Assessed the appropriateness of accounting policies
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necessary agreements and required approvals, allowing the Company
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and relevant Ind AS and tested the completeness and
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to obtain controlling stake by acquiring equity shares from the other
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accuracy of the information used in computation of
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shareholders and restructure / repurpose the business operations of
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recorded impairment; and
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HNFPL.
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•
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Assessed the appropriateness and adequacy of the
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Subsequently in May 2025, the Board of the Company approved a
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disclosures made by the management in the standalone
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proposal to acquire majority stake from the other shareholder of HNFPL
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financial statements, in accordance with applicable
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for consideration of INR 85 million, with the intention to restructure/
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accounting standards.
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repurpose the business operations of HNFPL.
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Accordingly, the recoverable value of the investment as at 31 March
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2025 has been determined by using the fair value less cost of disposal.
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Fair value is considered on the basis of the agreed sales consideration
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for the proposed stake purchase in HNFPL, which has resulted in
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recognition of impairment loss of INR 234.85 million in the standalone
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statement of profit and loss, during the year ended 31 March 2025.
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Management’s assessment of recoverable value involves judgment to
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conclude that agreed sales price as mentioned above represents the fair
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value of HNFPL from market participants point of view as required under
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Ind AS 113, Fair Value Measurement (Ind AS 113) read with Ind AS 36.
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Considering the materiality of investment in HNFPL, aforementioned
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judgment involved and significance of the impairment charge on the
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standalone financial statements, impairment assessment of such
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investment has been determined as a key audit matter for the current
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year audit.
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Information other than the Standalone Financial Statements and Auditor’s Report thereon
6. The Company’s Board of Directors are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Annual Report, but does not include the standalone financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon.
Our opinion on the standalone financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the standalone financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the standalone financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If, based on the work we have
performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.
Responsibilities of Management and Those Charged with
Governance for the Standalone Financial Statements
7. The accompanying standalone financial statements have been approved by the Company’s Board of Directors. The Company’s Board of Directors are responsible for the matters stated in Section 134(5) of the Act with respect to the preparation and presentation of these standalone financial statements that give a true and fair view of the financial position, financial performance including other comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows of the Company in accordance with the Ind AS specified under Section 133 of the Act and other accounting principles generally accepted in India. This responsibility also includes maintenance of adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the Act for safeguarding of
the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting frauds and other irregularities; selection and application of appropriate accounting policies; making judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and design, implementation and maintenance of adequate internal financial controls, that were operating effectively for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the accounting records, relevant to the preparation and presentation of the financial statements that give a true and fair view and are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
8. In preparing the standalone financial statements, the Board of Directors is responsible for assessing the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Board of Directors either intends to liquidate the Company or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.
9. The Board of Directors is also responsible for overseeing the Company’s financial reporting process.
Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Standalone
Financial Statements
10. Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the standalone financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with Standards on Auditing will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these standalone financial statements.
11. As part of an audit in accordance with Standards on Auditing, specified under Section 143(10) of the Act we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit. We also:
• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the standalone financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control;
• Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances. Under Section 143(3) (i) of the Act we are also responsible for expressing our opinion on whether the Company has adequate internal financial controls with reference to financial statements in place and the operating effectiveness of such controls;
• Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by management;
• Conclude on the appropriateness of Board of Directors’ use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material
uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the standalone financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the Company to cease to continue as a going concern; and
• Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the standalone financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the standalone financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.
12. We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.
13. We also provide those charged with governance with a statement that we have complied with relevant ethical requirements regarding independence, and to communicate with them all relationships and other matters that may reasonably be thought to bear on our independence, and where applicable, related safeguards.
14. From the matters communicated with those charged with governance, we determine those matters that were of most significance in the audit of the standalone financial statements of the current period and are therefore the key audit matters. We describe these matters in our auditor’s report unless law or regulation precludes public disclosure about the matter or when, in extremely rare circumstances, we determine that a matter should not be communicated in our report because the adverse consequences of doing so would reasonably be expected to outweigh the public interest benefits of such communication.
Report on Other Legal and Regulatory Requirements
15. As required by Section 197(16) of the Act, based on our audit, we report that the Company has paid remuneration to its directors during the year in accordance with the provisions of and limits laid down under Section 197 read with Schedule V to the Act.
16. As required by the Companies (Auditor’s Report) Order, 2020 (‘the Order’) issued by the Central Government of India in terms of Section 143(11) of the Act we give in the Annexure A, a statement on the matters specified in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the Order, to the extent applicable.
17. Further to our comments in Annexure A, as required by Section 143(3) of the Act based on our audit, we report, to the extent applicable, that:
a) We have sought and obtained all the information and explanations which to the best of our knowledge and belief were necessary for the purpose of our audit of the accompanying standalone financial statements;
b) Except for the matters stated in paragraph 17(h)(vi) below on reporting under Rule 11(g) of the Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014 (as amended), in our opinion, proper books of account as required by law have been kept by the Company so far as it appears from our examination of those books;
c) The standalone financial statements dealt with by this report are in agreement with the books of account;
d) In our opinion, the aforesaid standalone financial statements comply with Ind AS specified under Section 133 of the Act;
e) On the basis of the written representations received from the directors and taken on record by the Board of Directors, none of the directors is disqualified as on 31 March 2025 from being appointed as a director in terms of Section 164(2) of the Act;
f) The qualification relating to the maintenance of accounts and other matters connected therewith are as stated in paragraph 17(b) above on reporting under section 143(3)(b) of the Act and paragraph 17(h)(vi) below on reporting under Rule 11(g) of the Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014 (as amended);
g) With respect to the adequacy of the internal financial controls with reference to financial statements of the Company as on 31 March 2025 and the operating effectiveness of such controls, refer to our separate report in Annexure B wherein we have expressed an unmodified opinion; and
h) With respect to the other matters to be included in the Auditor’s Report in accordance with rule 11 of the Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014 (as amended), in our opinion and to the best of our information and according to the explanations given to us:
i. The Company, as detailed in note 42(b) to the standalone financial statements, has disclosed the impact of pending litigations on its financial position as at 31 March 2025;
ii. The Company did not have any long-term contracts including derivative contracts for which there were any material foreseeable losses as at 31 March 2025;
iii. There has been no delay in transferring amounts, required to be transferred, to the Investor Education and Protection Fund by the Company during the year ended 31 March 2025;
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a. The management has represented that, to the best of its knowledge and belief, as disclosed in note 34(i) to the standalone financial statements, no funds have been advanced or loaned or invested (either from borrowed funds or securities premium or any other sources or kind of funds) by the Company to or in any person(s) or entity(ies), including foreign entities (‘the intermediaries’), with the understanding, whether recorded in writing or otherwise, that the intermediary shall, whether, directly or indirectly lend or invest in other persons or entities identified in any manner whatsoever by or on behalf of the Company (‘the Ultimate Beneficiaries’) or provide any guarantee, security or the like on behalf the Ultimate Beneficiaries;
b. The management has represented that, to the best of its knowledge and belief, as disclosed in note 34(ii) to the standalone financial statements, no funds have been received by the Company from any person(s) or entity(ies), including foreign entities (‘the Funding Parties’), with the understanding,
whether recorded in writing or otherwise, that the Company shall, whether directly or indirectly, lend or invest in other persons or entities identified in any manner whatsoever by or on behalf of the Funding Party (‘Ultimate Beneficiaries’) or provide any guarantee, security or the like on behalf of the Ultimate Beneficiaries; and
c. Based on such audit procedures performed as considered reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances, nothing has come to our notice that has caused us to believe that the management representations under sub¬ clauses (a) and (b) above contain any material misstatement.
v. As stated in note 33 to the accompanying standalone financial statements, the final dividend paid by the Company during the year ended 31 March 2025 in respect of such dividend declared for the previous year is in accordance with Section 123 of the Act to the extent it applies to payment of dividend. The Board of Directors of the Company have proposed final dividend for the year ended 31 March 2025 which is subject to the approval of the members at the ensuing Annual General Meeting. The dividend declared is in accordance with Section 123 of the Act to the extent it applies to declaration of dividend.
vi. Based on our examination which included test checks, the Company, in respect of financial year commencing on 1 April 2024, has used an accounting software for maintaining its books of account which has a feature of recording audit trail (edit log) facility and the same has operated throughout the year for all relevant transactions recorded in the software except that audit trail feature was not enabled at the database level for the accounting software to log any direct data changes, as described in note 49 to the standalone financial statements. Further, during the course of our audit we did not come across any instance of audit trail feature being tampered with in respect of the accounting software where such feature is enabled. Furthermore, the audit trail has been preserved by the Company as per the statutory requirements for record retention.
For Walker Chandiok & Co LLP
Chartered Accountants Firm’s Registration No.: 001076N/N500013
Sumesh E S
Partner
Place: Hyderabad Membership No.: 206931
Date: 16 May 2025 UDIN: 25206931BMNRAF8480
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