Functions of Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria are given herein. You will find this informative and helpful for your research.

Functions of CRIN

CRIN is saddled with the responsibility of conducting research to facilitate improvement in the production of disease-free or disease-resistant cocoa.

The institute was established in 1964 as an autonomous research organization to succeed in the Nigerian substation of the defunct West African Cocoa Research Institute (WACRI) (Nigeria Statute, Act No. 6 of 1950).

This followed the establishment of the headquarters of the said WACRI at Tafo, Ghana in 1944 with the responsibility of conducting research to aid improvement in the production of disease-free or disease-resistant cocoa.

The scope of CRIN was expanded beyond that of WACRI by virtue of the Nigerian Research Institutes Act No. 33 of 1964.

This led to the inclusion of research on kola and coffee in addition to cocoa. In line with the Agricultural Research Institutes Establishments Act of 1975, the domain of CRIN research activities was further expanded to include tea and cashew.

As a result, CRIN today has the mandate to conduct research on five crops, namely, cocoa, kola, coffee, cashew, and tea throughout the country.

The Institute maintains bilateral relationships with international organizations that deal with cocoa and other mandate crops.

It also has linkages with other National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs); state and national agencies through which its technologies are disseminated.

CRIN Mandate Crops:

1. Cocoa
2. Kola
3. Tea
4. Cashew
5. Coffee

Functions of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria

The institute is vested with the following mandate:

1. Improvement of the genetic potential, agronomic, and husbandry practices, including the processing and storage of the mandated crops.
2. Identification of the ecology and research of methods of controlling the pests and diseases affecting the crops.
3. Investigating the effective utilization of the crops and their by-products, as well as running a feasibility study of the possibilities of small-scale production of such end-use products.
4. Integration of the cultivation of the mandate crops into national cropping systems where each crop is grown by farmers.
5. Translation of research results and improved technologies into comprehensible and practicable systems for easy application by farmers and manufacturers in order to improve the production and socio-economic life of the people.

Operational Organization of Cocoa Research Institute Nigerian

CRIN is organized into the following research service departments:

1. Research
2. Farming System Research And Extension
3. End-Use Research (EUR)
4. Production & Sub-stations
5. Library Information and Documentation (LID)

Substations

To achieve nationwide coverage, the Institute has established and sustains substations in six locations in which the mandated crops of the Institute can be economically cultivated.

These are:

Ondo State caters to cocoa, robusta coffee, and kola, in the southwest zone rain forest belt, and Edo-State caters to cocoa in marginal forest areas.

Kogi State for cashew and kola: Abia State in the south-east zone and also in rain forest belt to cater for cocoa and cashew.

Cross River State for cocoa and Kola in the southeast zone rain forest belt; and Taraba State for Arabica coffee and tea.

Achievements of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria:

1. CRIN has served as an effective information channel whereby research findings get to farmers and industrialists and the production constraints of farmers and industrialists are fed back to researchers.
2. The institute has improved the socio-economic status of farmers/farm families through improved and diversified income.
3. It has increased the productivity of farmers through effective utilization of on-farm trial methods thereby enhancing the adoption of technology.
4. CRIN has created awareness for farmers on varied methods of utilizing farm by-products.
5. It has assisted farmers and industrialists to become self-reliant in making certain production decisions.
6. Over the years, the Institute has recorded major breakthroughs in research work that enhanced the production and utilization of by-products of the mandate crops.