Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI)

About Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI)

• It was established by the Government of Madras in 1916 for coconut research.
• Later, it was acquired by the Indian Central Coconut Committee in 1947.
• The CPCRI was established in 1970 as one of the agricultural research institutes in the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• Headquarters: Kasaragod, Kerala

Mandate:

• The institute had the mandate to undertake research on coconut, arecanut, cocoa, cashew, oil palm, and spices at the time of establishment. 
• The research on cashew, oil palm, and spices was later delinked from CPCRI to form separate institutes.
• In 2023, a new mandate crop, Palmyra Palm, was added to its institute.
• The research programmes of the institute are organized under five divisions viz. Crop Improvement, Crop Production, Crop Protection, Physiology, Biochemistry and Post Harvest Technology and Social Sciences. 
• The Institute also holds the International Coconut Gene Bank for South Asia at Kidu in Karnataka. 
• The Institute also serves as the headquarters of the All-India Co-ordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Palms.

Q1: What is the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)?

ICAR is the apex body for coordinating, guiding, and managing research and education in agriculture in the entire country under the aegis of DARE, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Source:Sushri Shobha Karandlaje inaugurates Krishi Sammelan organised by ICAR-CPCRI, RC