New Delhi: As India enters the kharif sowing season with a renewed emphasis on increasing domestic oilseed production and reducing reliance on edible oil imports, Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra is emerging as a transformative digital initiative for farmers across the country.
Developed by the ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (ICAR-IIOR), Hyderabad, the WhatsApp-based AI advisory service delivers trusted, research-backed guidance on oilseed cultivation directly to farmers’ mobile phones in their preferred language, free of cost and around the clock.
Launched by the Secretary, DARE and Director General, ICAR during the National Oilseeds Conference held in New Delhi on February 6, 2026, Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra reflects ICAR’s commitment to leveraging digital technology for the direct benefit of the farming community.
The initiative enables oilseed growers to access instant crop advisory through WhatsApp without downloading any additional application, using a platform that is already familiar to millions of farmers across India.
Farmers can save the number +91 4024598180 as “Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra” on WhatsApp and ask questions in any Indian language related to groundnut, mustard, sesame, sunflower, soybean, niger, and other oilseed crops.
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The AI-powered chatbot provides immediate research-based responses covering variety selection, crop management, pest and disease control, irrigation practices, and post-harvest management, operating 24 hours a day and seven days a week at no cost.
Dr. R.K. Mathur, Director of ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad, said that “Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra” is the first time ICAR’s collective oilseed research, which has been delivered to every farmer in the country, in their own language, on a platform they already use.
By combining the scientific knowledge of ICAR-IIOR, NSRI, IIGR, IIRMR and the PC-Unit (Sesame & Niger) with a multilingual AI agent on WhatsApp. He said that we have removed the long-standing barriers of distance, language, and cost between the laboratory and the farmer’s field.
He added that as kharif sowing begins, we urge all oilseed farmers and other stakeholders to save ‘Kisaan Mitra’ and ask their questions, 24×7.”
AI-Powered Advisory Built on ICAR’s Collective Expertise
Using advanced artificial intelligence and a comprehensive knowledge base created from the scientific expertise of multiple ICAR institutes, Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra understands queries typed or sent in regional languages and delivers precise, crop-specific answers.
Farmers do not require any special application or internet browser, as the familiar WhatsApp interface is sufficient to access the service.
The chatbot supports the complete crop lifecycle, including variety selection, agronomic practices, pest and disease management, irrigation scheduling, post-harvest guidance, and seed availability.
By making scientific information instantly accessible, the platform aims to bridge the gap between research institutions and farmers in the field.
Collaborative Knowledge Base Covering Major Oilseed Crops
The knowledge repository powering Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra has been developed through collaboration among several ICAR institutions to ensure comprehensive coverage of India’s major oilseed crops across diverse agro-climatic regions.
Contributing institutes include ICAR-National Soybean Research Institute (ICAR-NSRI), Indore; ICAR-Indian Institute of Groundnut Research (ICAR-IIGR), Junagadh; ICAR-Indian Institute of Rapeseed and Mustard Research (ICAR-IIRMR), Bharatpur; and the PC-Unit (Sesame & Niger).
Together with ICAR-IIOR, these institutions provide farmers with reliable and research-based recommendations tailored to their cultivation needs.
How to Access Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra
Farmers can start using Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra in three simple steps:
- Step 1: Save +91 4024598180 in your phone as “Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra.”
- Step 2: Open WhatsApp and send a message in your preferred Indian language.
- Step 3: Receive instant, research-based advisory for your oilseed crop free of cost, available 24×7.
By bringing multilingual AI assistance directly to WhatsApp, Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra seeks to make scientific oilseed cultivation knowledge more accessible and convenient for farmers across India.
