UPL Limited was initially incorporated as 'Vishwanath Commercials Limited' on January 2, 1985. The Company name was changed from Vishwanath Commercials Limited to Search Chem Industries Limited on 24 February, 1985. Again, the name of the Company was changed from Search Chem Industries Limited to United Phosphorus Limited on 30 September, 2013 and subsequently was changed to UPL Limited from United Phosphorus Limited on 23 October, 2013.
UPL Limited is a global generic crop protection, chemicals and seeds company. The Company is engaged in the agro-business of production and sale of agrochemicals, field crops, vegetable seeds and non-agro business of production and sale of industrial chemicals, chemical intermediates & speciality chemicals. They operate in three segments: agro chemical, industrial chemicals and others. The agro chemicals segment consists of agrochemicals technicals and formulations. The industrial chemicals segment consists of industrial chemicals and speciality chemicals. The others segment consists of traded products. The company has also got a captive power plant in Jhagadia.
The company offers a range of products that includes insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, fumigants, plant growth and regulators and rodenticides. They have 43 manufacturing sites, which includes nine in India, four in France and two in Spain. They operate in every continent and have a customer base in 123 countries with their own subsidiary offices in Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mauritius, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Italy, Turkey, Spain, South Africa, Taiwan, USA, UK, Vietnam, Zambia, Shanghai, Columbia and Netherland.
In February 1985, the company went to public. In February 1994 R.D. Shroff along with his family and investment companies acquired 78.61% of the equity capital of the company. In March 1995 the group reorganized the shareholding and as a result United Phosp