ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology

Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) was established in 1976 by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research to promote long-term research efforts in cotton production and to provide support and conduct applied research on cotton with the active involvement of State Universities. Its research falls under the All India Coordinated Cotton Improvement Project (AICCIP), initiated in 1967. CICR's headquarters are located in Nagpur, with two other regional units located at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, and Sirsa, Haryana. The Sirsa campus was established in collaboration with the Government of Haryana, located near Chaudhary Devi Lal University on NH9. The Nagpur campus, in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra, implemented a pilot project in the Vidarbha region based on a Brazilian model to enhance cotton yield while reducing cultivation costs. CICR serves as a center of excellence for cotton research and development, focusing on crops, production methods, technologies, products, and services for farmers, industries, and research organizations. It has conducted studies on the socio-economic impact of Bt cotton in India and, in 2024, sponsored a pilot project using artificial intelligence for real-time pest monitoring to control pink bollworm infestations.