The National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI) Badeggi is one of the fifteen (15) commodities Agricultural Research Institute in Nigeria under the aegis of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Institute was established by an Agricultural Research order of 1975 but has a long history dating back to 1898 when the first precursor of Department of Agriculture was established by the then British Colonial Administration as an observatory Botanical Garden in Lagos. The Department later metamorphosed in to the Federal Department of Agricultural Research, Moor plantation in 1954 and charged with the responsibility of conducting research on all agricultural crops and farming practices through out the Country.
The 1975 Agricultural Research Institutes order limited the research mandate of the Institute to the problems of rice, maize, grain legumes and sugarcane as well as those of farming systems throughout Nigeria.

The Headquarters of the institute remained at moor plantation, Ibadan until December 1984 when it was moved to the Institute Rice Research Station, Badeggi which is now the Headquarters.

The re-organization of the Nigeria Research Institute in 1987 further changed the mandate of the Institute as well as its areas of coverage consequently, NCRI was charged with national mandate for the genetic improvement of Rice, Sugarcane, Soybean, Acha, Beniseed, and Castor throughout the country as well as Farming Systems Research and Extension in all ramifications of Agriculture within the Central Zone consisting of Nassarawa, Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Plateau, Taraba, Benue States and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

NCRI research activities are carried out both in the Headquarters and the ten (10) Outstations located in different parts of of the country viz: Ibadan (Oyo State), Warri (Delta State), Amakama-Olokoro (Abia State), Uyo (Akwa-Ibom State), Bacita (Kwara State), Mokwa (Niger State), Birnin-Kebbi (kebbi State), Numan (Adamawa State), Yandev (Benue State) and Riyom (Plateau State) in close collaboration with both National and International Agricultural Research Institutes, Non-governmental Organization and Private Organizations.

On-farm Adaptive trials are conducted multi locationally to ensure that results are adoptable in the different ecologies in the country. It is also the Zonal Coordinating Research Institute for Research Extension –Farmer-Input-Linkage- System (REFILS) of the North Central Zone.

Specific Functions

Research into genetic improvement and improved production system of rice, soybean, sugarcane, acha and castor.
Socio-economics of agricultural production.
Improved processing method of the mandate crops products and
Design and/or fabrication of agricultural implement and/or equipment.

Additional Activities

Production of breeder and foundation seeds.
Organize technical and vocational courses and training of agricultural crop production in the mandate crops.
Provide laboratory and other technical services to the farmers, agro-based industries and needing servce.
Consultancy services in all areas of mandate crops.
Agricultural Extension services.

National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI),
Badeggi,
P. M. B 8,
Bida,
Niger State.