UPL Ltd.today announced the opening of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Jhagadia, located in the state of Gujarat, India. The facility will support the production of Clethodim, one of the largest selective post-emergence herbicides in the world used to control annual and perennial grasses in a wide variety of crops. Clethodim was brought into the UPL product portfolio through the acquisition of Arysta LifeScience; after only 20 months post-integration, the company’s vision of expanding its in-house production capabilities has become a reality.
“The addition of the Jhagadia facility to our global manufacturing site network demonstrates UPL’s ability to act quickly and with agility in order to provide agriculture solutions that address farmer pain points,” says Diego Lopez Casanello, Global Chief Operating Officer of UPL.
The development of Clethodim was driven with the objective to safely provide global solutions that strengthen farmer resiliency and meet increased demand requirements primarily due to weed resistance against the commonly used herbicide, Glyphosate. This investment significantly improves UPL’s competitive position and strengthens its market leadership in this key molecule.
“As farmers around the world continue to rely on UPL for consistent and reliable supply of high-quality crop protection solutions, UPL is excited to increase production of Clethodim to support the growing demand,” said Raj Tiwari, Global Head of Supply Chain & Manufacturing at UPL. “Along with our in-house manufacturing production, we will continue to leverage our strategic external manufacturing partnerships already in place as a key part of our strategy to meet the needs of growers globally.”
The facility is fully automated and DCS controlled, including the latest process technologies in the chemical industry. Through in-house production, UPL will leverage its manufacturing capabilities and cost leadership, making Clethodim more widely available to farmers across multiple geographies and crops. With more than 150 new jobs created, the facility is fully operational and will continue to ramp up production efforts in the coming weeks and months.