Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra: India’s First Nationwide WhatsApp AI Advisory Service for Oilseed Farmers

In a major step towards strengthening oilseed cultivation and improving farmers’ access to scientific knowledge, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has launched ‘Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra’, a WhatsApp-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered advisory service. The initiative aims to provide oilseed farmers across India with instant, reliable, and research-based agricultural guidance in their own language.

What is Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra ?

Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra is a WhatsApp-based AI-powered chatbot developed by the ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (ICAR-IIOR), Hyderabad. It is designed to deliver scientific recommendations and crop-specific advisories directly to farmers through a platform they already use and are familiar with.

The service was launched by the Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General, ICAR, during the National Oilseeds Conference held in New Delhi on February 6, 2026.

Objective of the Initiative

The initiative has been introduced at a time when India is focusing on increasing domestic oilseed production and reducing dependence on edible oil imports. By providing farmers with timely and research-backed information, Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra seeks to improve productivity, enhance crop management practices, and support sustainable oilseed cultivation.

The platform caters to farmers growing groundnut, mustard, sesame, sunflower, soybean, niger, and other oilseed crops.

Key Features of Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra

1. 24×7 Advisory Support :-The AI-powered chatbot provides round-the-clock assistance to farmers, ensuring that they can access expert guidance anytime, anywhere.
2. Multilingual Access :-Farmers can ask questions in any Indian language and receive responses in the same language, making scientific information accessible to a wider audience.
3. Research-Based Recommendations :-All advisories are based on the latest scientific research and expertise generated by ICAR institutions.
4. Free of Cost :- The service is completely free and can be accessed through WhatsApp without downloading any additional application.
5. Instant Responses :-The AI chatbot delivers immediate answers to farmers’ queries, helping them make timely decisions regarding crop management.

How Does It Work ?

Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra uses advanced Artificial Intelligence and a comprehensive knowledge base developed from the collective scientific expertise of multiple ICAR institutes. The chatbot understands questions typed or sent in regional languages and provides precise, crop-specific recommendations.

The platform covers the entire crop cycle, including :

• Variety selection 
• Agronomic practices 
• Crop management 
• Pest and disease control 
• Irrigation scheduling 
• Nutrient management 
• Post-harvest practices 
• Seed availability information 

Farmers only need WhatsApp to access the service, making it highly user-friendly and accessible.

Collaborative Knowledge Base

The knowledge base of Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra has been developed through collaboration among several premier ICAR institutions, including:

• ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (ICAR-IIOR), Hyderabad 
• 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 
• PC-Unit (Sesame & Niger) 

This collaborative effort ensures comprehensive coverage of major oilseed crops across different agro-climatic regions of India.

Expert Views

According to Dr. R.K. Mathur, Director of ICAR-IIOR, Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra represents the first time that ICAR’s collective oilseed research has been made available to every farmer in the country in their own language through a platform they already use.

He stated that by combining the scientific knowledge of ICAR-IIOR, NSRI, IIGR, IIRMR, and the PC-Unit (Sesame & Niger) with a multilingual AI agent on WhatsApp, the initiative has removed long-standing barriers of distance, language, and cost between research laboratories and farmers’ fields.

Technology Behind the Platform

The initiative was developed under the overall coordination of Dr. Ravi Kumar Mathur, Director of ICAR-IIOR. The scientific knowledge base was conceptualized and led by Dr. Chunduri Sarada, while the design and development of the real-time multilingual AI agent and knowledge retrieval platform were led by Mr. Cheedella Nimesh (M.S., IIT Madras) and Mr. Katipally Sriman (M.S.).

How Farmers Can Access the Service

Farmers can save the number +91 4024598180 on their mobile phones as “Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra” and send their queries through WhatsApp. The chatbot will instantly provide research-based guidance related to oilseed cultivation.

Conclusion

Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra is a significant digital agriculture initiative that leverages Artificial Intelligence to bridge the gap between scientific research and farmers. By providing free, multilingual, and research-based advisory services through WhatsApp, the platform has the potential to improve oilseed productivity, support informed decision-making, and contribute to India’s goal of achieving greater self-reliance in edible oil production.