inrab

What inrab does

INRAB (Institut National des Recherches Agricoles du Bénin) is a public scientific establishment founded by decree on July 6, 1992, operating under Benin's Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries (MAEP). It serves as the sole national coordinator of the Système National de Recherche Agricole (SNRA) and implements government policy on agricultural research through the Programme National de Recherche Agricole (PNRA), which comprises 18 framework projects with a total budget of 27.883 billion FCFA. The institute delivers applied research, improved crop varieties, pest management protocols, aquaculture technologies, and food-processing innovations to Benin's farmers, processors, and agricultural development agencies.

The institute operates through a network of nine research centers: a national center (CRA Agonkanmey in Abomey-Calavi) housing central laboratories and transversal programs; four regional centers (CRA-Centre, CRA Nord-Ouest, CRA Nord-Est, CRA Sud) covering different agro-ecological zones; and four specialized centers (CRA Horticulture, CRA Production Animale et Halieutique, CRA Coton et Fibres, CRA Plantes Pérennes). Its research outputs include early-maturing drought-tolerant maize varieties, cashew hybrids via artificial pollination, low-acidity palm oil selections (LIPALM, FRUITPALM, VITAPALM programs), a rice gene bank of 872 accessions, an improved gambari-lifin flour process, and field-tested fall armyworm control regimens. Quantified outcomes include 11%–82% yield gains in young cashew plantations and 5.12–8.67 kg/tree yields at 7 years, 2-3x the national average.

INRAB is fully state-owned with no external investors and is funded through government budget allocations and donor financing from partners including AfricaRice, FAO, CIRAD, CORAF/WECARD, FARA, IITA, GIZ, AFD, PPAAO, TechnoServe, and PADA/ProCAD. It generates no product revenue; research outputs are disseminated at no cost through the ATDA agricultural pole network, scientific days, technical guides, and the BRAB journal. The institute has 90 employees, including 36 researchers with CAMES credentials, and is governed by a Board of Directors, a Director General (Dr. Comlan Hervé SOSSOU), a Scientific Director, and a Scientific Council. Following Decree N° 2019-202, which granted it financial autonomy, INRAB re-launched its research programming cycle (CGRA) in 2025 after an eight-year hiatus.

Name

inrab

Legal name

Institut National des Recherches Agricoles du Bénin

Website

https://inrab.bj

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

INRAB is Benin's public national agricultural research institute, coordinating the SNRA and developing improved crop varieties, pest management, and food technologies for government, farmers, and processors across nine research centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Research Services

NAICS

Other Crop Farming (1119), Oilseed and Grain Farming (1111), Vegetable and Melon Farming (1112)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Agricultural Production & Farm Operations (EDAOAOAA), Crop Spraying & Chemical Application Services (Ground Rig) (AFACAAAB)

Keywords

• Agricultural research
• Crop variety development
• Pest management solutions
• Aquaculture technologies
• Food processing research

Headquarters

HQ city

Abomey-Calavi (Agonkanmey)

HQ country

Benin

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government funding and public research grants: As a public scientific establishment under the Ministry of Agriculture, INRAB receives government funding to implement national agricultural research policy. The institute coordinates the National Agricultural Research System (SNRA) and executes research programs funded through national budgets and international development partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

INRAB is Benin's national agricultural research institute that develops improved crop varieties (maize, rice, cashew, palm oil, cassava, cotton), pest management solutions, aquaculture technologies, and food processing innovations through its network of regional and specialized research centers, coordinating the National Agricultural Research System (SNRA).

Product overview

INRAB (Institut National des Recherches Agricoles du Bénin) is a public scientific research establishment under the Ministry of Agriculture. It operates as the coordinator of the National Agricultural Research System (SNRA) and develops agricultural technologies, research publications, and scientific knowledge across multiple domains. The organization's offerings include: agricultural research and technology development; the Bulletin de la Recherche Agronomique du Bénin (BRAB) scientific publication; improved seeds and genetic material; research across specialized centers (CRA) covering cereals, cashew, horticulture, oil palm, cotton, livestock and fisheries; and technology transfer through the Research-Development approach. The institute publishes research reports, practical guides, and technology compendiums while coordinating the Cycle de Gestion de la Recherche Agricole (CGRA) for research management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bulletin de la Recherche Agronomique du Bénin (BRAB)
• INRAB Research Database (Base de données INRAB)

Quantifiable outcome

• Maize yield increases of 39% to 160% with N12P12K25 fertilizer application at 1 kg/tree/year in 7-9 year old cashew plantations
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AfricaRice (Centre du Riz pour l'Afrique)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015AfricaRice and INRAB signed a partnership convention for supporting and adopting improved technologies for rice development poles. The collaboration includes rice variety trials, gene bank management, and demonstration plots at CRA Sud.
• PPAAO (Programme de Productivité Agricole en Afrique de l'Ouest)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPPAAO provides financial support for developing improved rice technologies and post-harvest processing methods in Benin.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO supports INRAB through project funding including rice gene bank rehabilitation and regeneration activities.
• CORAF/WECARDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWest and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development network member, facilitating regional research collaboration.
• FARA (Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFARA coordinates continental agricultural research initiatives in which INRAB participates.
• CIRAD (Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIRAD collaborates with INRAB on scientific days about palm oil value chains and palm oil quality research including vitamin analysis at their facilities.
• IITA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIITA hosts the Regional Research and Development Committee (CRRD) meetings and collaborates on agricultural research initiatives in Benin.
• BeninCajù / TechnoServeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeninCajù project funded by TechnoServe provides financial support for installing clonal seed orchards for cashew production at INRAB research sites.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• INRAE (Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement): France's national agricultural, food, and environment research institute. Comparable as a major publicly-funded national agricultural research body with broad crop, livestock, and food science research, though operating at much larger scale in a developed economy.
• EMBRAPA (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária): Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, a national public agricultural research powerhouse. Comparable as a state-funded national agricultural research institute with extensive crop breeding programs, technology transfer, and tropical commodity focus (oil palm, cassava, maize, rice).

Direct peers

• AfricaRice (Centre du Riz pour l'Afrique): Pan-African rice research center and INRAB's core partner on the 872-accession rice gene bank at CRA Sud. Directly comparable as a rice-focused agricultural research institute serving West Africa, sharing gene bank access, variety trials, and demonstration plots.
• CSIR-SARI (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research - Savanna Agricultural Research Institute): Ghanaian agricultural research institute under the national CSIR umbrella. Direct peer as a publicly-funded West African agricultural research institute working on maize, rice, sorghum, soybean, and groundnut improvement with similar crop and climate focus.
• KALRO (Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization): Kenya's national agricultural research organization under the Ministry of Agriculture. Directly comparable as a public-sector national agricultural research body covering crops, livestock, and fisheries with regional research centers across ecological zones.
• INERA (Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles, Burkina Faso): Burkina Faso's national agricultural and environmental research institute. Directly comparable as a francophone West African public agricultural research establishment under ministerial supervision, working on cereal, legume, and cash crop improvement.
• CIRAD (Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement): French agricultural research center collaborating with INRAB on palm oil value chain and vitamin analysis. Directly comparable as a publicly-funded tropical agriculture research institution serving developing countries with shared focus on perennial crops and value chain research.
• IITA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture): CGIAR center headquartered in Ibadan that hosts INRAB's Regional Research and Development Committee meetings. Direct peer as a tropical agriculture research institute working on cassava, maize, yam, banana, and cowpea across West Africa with similar crop improvement mandates.
• IRRI (International Rice Research Institute): Global CGIAR rice research center that contributed rice accessions to INRAB's gene bank. Direct peer as a publicly-funded rice research institute with shared mandate to develop improved rice varieties and manage genetic resources for developing countries.

Emerging players

• ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics): CGIAR center focused on semi-arid crop research including sorghum, millet, and groundnut. Comparable as a publicly-funded crop improvement institute with overlapping work on dry cereals relevant to INRAB's CRA Nord Ouest in northwest Benin.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inrab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about inrab