The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare announced the operationalization of 'Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra', India's first nationwide WhatsApp AI advisory service for oilseed farmers, developed by ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (ICAR-IIOR), Hyderabad. The service was officially launched by the Secretary, DARE & Director General, ICAR during the National Oilseeds Conference in New Delhi on February 6, 2026, as part of India's renewed focus on boosting domestic oilseed production and reducing dependence on edible oil imports, particularly during the kharif sowing season.
The AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot provides free, research-based advisory services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in all Indian languages without requiring farmers to download any additional applications. Farmers can access the service by saving the number +91 4024598180 as 'Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra' on WhatsApp and sending messages in their preferred Indian language. The service covers comprehensive guidance on major oilseed crops including groundnut, mustard, sesame, sunflower, soybean, and niger, providing expert advice on variety selection, crop management, pest and disease control, irrigation scheduling, post-harvest practices, and seed availability.
The knowledge base has been developed collaboratively with multiple ICAR institutes including ICAR-National Soybean Research Institute, Indore (ICAR-NSRI), ICAR-Indian Institute of Groundnut Research, Junagadh (ICAR-IIGR), ICAR-Indian Institute of Rapeseed and Mustard Research, Bharatpur (ICAR-IIRMR), and PC-Unit (Sesame & Niger), ensuring comprehensive coverage of all major oilseed crops across different agro-climatic zones of India. According to Dr. R.K. Mathur, Director of ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad, this initiative removes long-standing barriers of distance, language, and cost between laboratory research and farmers' fields by delivering ICAR's collective oilseed research directly to farmers on a platform they already use regularly.