ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) was established on 21st August 1993 at Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu by ICAR, New Delhi. Its aim is to increase the production and productivity of banana and plantains through mission mode basic and strategic research approaches. The Centre works on four major thrust areas of research viz., Crop Improvement, Crop Production, Post Harvest Management and Crop Protection.

It has well-equipped laboratories for tissue-culture, bio-technology, soil science, nutrient management, physiology, biochemistry, entomology, nematology, fungal, bacterial, viral pathology and post harvest technology research. In the late nineties, 10 collection surveys through explorations were made. Wild banana germplasm from the North-Eastern states, Western Ghats, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands and also exotic banana accessions from International Transit Centre (ITC), Belgium through NBPGR, New Delhi were introduced.