As India enters the kharif sowing season with renewed focus on boosting domestic oilseed production and reducing dependence on edible oil imports, Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra, the WhatsApp-based AI advisory service developed by ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (ICAR-IIOR), Hyderabad, is emerging as a powerful tool bringing trusted, research-based knowledge about oilseed cultivation directly to farmers’ mobile phones, anytime and in their own language.
The service was launched by the Secretary, DARE & Director General, ICAR during the National Oilseeds Conference, New Delhi on 6th February,2026, underscoring ICAR’s commitment to harnessing digital technology for the direct benefit of the farming community. The initiative enables any oilseed farmer in India to access free, trusted, and instant crop advisory simply through WhatsApp as a platform already familiar to millions of farmers, without needing to download any additional application.
Farmers can save the number +91 4024598180 as ‘Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra’ on WhatsApp and ask questions in any Indian language about groundnut, mustard, sesame, sunflower, soybean, niger, and other oilseed crops. The AI-powered chatbot responds instantly with research-based guidance on variety selection, crop management, pest and disease control, irrigation, and post-harvest practices, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, free of cost.
