Coconut Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CRICATAS) was founded in 1979. It was formerly known as Wenchang Coconut Experimental Station of South China Academy of Tropical Crops. In 1993, it was renamed as Coconut Research Institute. It is the only non-profit research institution on tropical oil crops in China. The main research scope of CRICATAS includes scientific and technological innovations on coconut, oil palm, areca, date palm, and relevant achievements transformation and industrial services, which has distinctive characteristic features compared with other scientific research institutions in China. 

  CRICATAS has six administration offices namely General Office (Party Committee Office), Research Management Service Office, Financial Office, Experimental Base and Facility Construction Office, Achievements Transformation Office, and Land Management Office. Furthermore, it has eight research departments which are Germplasm Resources Research Department, Coconut Research Department, Oil Palm Research Department, Oil Camellia Research Department, Areca Research Department, Product Processing Research Department, Plant Protection Research Department, and Biotechnology Research Department. It has a staff strength of 326, 142 existing scientific and technological researchers, and 160 retired workers.

    CRICATAS covers total 6,737.59 mu of land, with more than 7,000 square meters of laboratories and instruments worth of more than 40 million RMB. About 3000 mu land is demarcated for good seedling nursery breeding with standard demonstration base, 1500 mu demarcated for germplasm resources preservation and its storage base, which preserves more than 500 tropical oil and other tropical palm germplasm resources from more than 60 countries around the world. It undertakes 17 provincial and ministerial-level scientific research platforms such as Tropical Palm Germplasm Nursery, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, P.R.China and Hainan Key Laboratory of Tropical Oil Crops Biology.

  Since the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan”, CRICATAS has undertaken 381 research projects, and has obtained more than 70 research achievements. It has won 15 provincial and ministerial-level scientific and technological awards, including one national science and technology progress second prize, one Hainan Provincial Science and Technology Progress Special Award, one national first prize for the Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fishery Harvest Award, one first prize for scientific and technological progress in Hainan Province. Importantly, over 600 research articles and 29 books were published in SCI with impact factor journals and 91 patents have been granted to CRICATAS. A series of  high yielding good quality materials of several tropical oil crops including coconut, oil palm were introduced. Based on oil palm and coconut regeneration systems a number of excellent tropical oil crop varieties with independent intellectual property have also been introduced. Moreover, applied biological and ecological control technologies effectively monitored major alien invasive species and prevented tropical oil crops from their harmful effect.

  CRICATAS has launched a comprehensive deeply processing technology of oil palm, coconut and other tropical oil crops, which filled the domestic gap and extended the industrial chain; it controlled over the formulation of oil crops including, national, industry, local standards and more than 40 technical specifications. CRICATAS achieved recognition in coconut and oil palm crop research and technology both at national and international levels. CRICATAS jumped from 357 "Tenth Five-Year Plan" to 129th position in the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" ranking of the comprehensive scientific research capabilities of National Agricultural research institutions in China. Similarly it is ranked 15th, 6th and 6th in industry, profession and province national ranking respectively.

  Through its advanced technology demonstration based, CRICATAS has played significant role in extended key technologies in oil palm and coconut with high yield in domestic and abroad to solve technical problems in agriculture and breeding sciences. In the tropical area of China, the service coverage rate is over 90%, the practical technology popularization rate is over 95%, the yield of new coconut varieties increases by more than 80%, and the income from coconut per acres has increased more than 2,000 RMB.

  CRICATAS has established cooperative relationships with more than 20 countries and international organizations. Subsequently, a numerous number of experts were sent to the Comoros, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam and other countries to carry out technical support in tropical oil crops. We have hosted or organized more than 20 international training courses and conferences for developing countries. Furthermore,  presidents/head of states and a number of major national leaders from developing countries including Micronesia and Namibia visited CRICATAS for scientific and technological cooperation and technical support, which laid a solid foundation for the “go global” strategy of tropical oil crops.