About Us

The Directorate of Cotton Development, a subordinate office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India came into existence on 1966 after renaming of the Indian Central Cotton Committee (ICCC).

The Indian Cotton Committee (ICC) was setup in 1917 in Bombay. This committee established Indian Central Cotton Committee (ICCC) in 1921 as technical advisory Body to the Government for promoting Agricultural & Technological Research in cotton. The ICCC became a statutory Body in 1923 and established Central Technological Research Laboratory (CTRL) in 1924 at Bombay, presently known as Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology (CIRCOT). Since 1924 to 1966, ICCC had formulated many cotton schemes with a view to improve cotton quantitatively & qualitatively and operated various developmental schemes for overall development of four cultivated species of cotton in India. The concentrated efforts of the ICCC could cross double the production during 1966. The major activities of ICCC were Breeding- varietal improvement, Seed multiplication, Cotton agronomy, Control of insect pests & diseases and Cotton physiology.

The Indian Central Cotton Committee (ICCC) renamed as Directorate of Cotton Development in 1966 which was functioning since 1921 at Indian Mercantile Chambers, 14, R.K. Marg, Ballard Estate, Mumbai 400001 up to 30.09.2014, has been shifted to Nagpur and has been functioning since 01.10.2014 at Bhoomi Sarvekshan Bhavan, Katol Road, Nagpur 440013, Maharashtra.