ICAR- Central Institute for Cotton Research

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 support applied research with State Universities. Its research falls under the All India Coordinated Cotton Improvement Project, initiated in 1967. CICR's headquarters are in Nagpur, Maharashtra, with two regional campuses located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu and Sirsa, Haryana. The Nagpur campus, in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra, implemented a pilot project in the Vidarbha region, an area highly prone to farmer suicides, based on a Brazilian model aimed at enhancing cotton yield while reducing cultivation costs. The Sirsa campus was established in collaboration with the Government of Haryana, located near Chaudhary Devi Lal University on NH9. CICR serves as a center of excellence for cotton research, focusing on crops, production methods, technologies, and services for farmers and industries. It has conducted studies on the socio-economic impact of Bt cotton, showing increased production and cotton-growing area across nine states. In 2024, CICR sponsored a pilot project using artificial intelligence for real-time pest monitoring to control pink bollworm infestations.