ICAR CENTRAL CITRUS RESEARCH INSTITUTE

The ICAR-Central Citrus Research Institute, located at Nagpur, Maharashtra, was established to research citrus fruits, as Nagpur and the Vidarbha region are major producers of mandarin oranges. Following a 1980 task force survey and recommendations by Dr. D.J. Hutchison, a UNDP consultant, along with requests from the Maharashtra state government and the Indian Institute of Horticulture Research, ICAR agreed to establish a Citrus Research Station at Nagpur during the VIth Plan. Initially named the Central Citrus Research Station, its foundation stone was laid on 29 July 1985 by P.V. Narasimha Rao, then Minister of Defence, and the centre became functional from 29 November 1985. It initially operated from part of the rabbit breeding centre building of the Veterinary College at Seminary Hills, Nagpur, under Dr. PDKV, Akola, with pathology, entomology, horticulture, and post-harvest technology laboratories. On 1 April 1986, it was upgraded to the National Research Centre for Citrus under IIHR, Bangalore. In 1996, it moved to its present site at Amravati Road. The institute's initial mandate focused on research into mandarin and acid lime to improve productivity through better varieties, agrotechniques, pest and disease management, and storage technologies. It operates under ICAR, an autonomous body under India's Ministry of Agriculture.