AI Meets Agriculture: Govt Highlights WhatsApp Advisory for Oilseed Farmers
- Jun 11
- 2 min read
By The Slate Bureau
New Delhi, June 11: 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 is coming handy to millions of farmers, said the central government. The users can get the information directly to farmers’ mobile phones, anytime and in their own language. It is developed by ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (ICAR-IIOR), Hyderabad, which consists research-based knowledge about oilseed cultivation.
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.
How It Works
Using advanced AI and a robust knowledge base developed from the collective scientific expertise of multiple ICAR institutes, ‘Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra’ understands questions typed or sent in regional languages and provides precise, crop-specific answers. Farmers need no special app or internet browser; the familiar WhatsApp interface is all that is needed. The chatbot covers the entire crop cycle including variety selection, agronomic practices, pest and disease management, irrigation scheduling, and post-harvest guidance and seed availability.
The knowledge base has been built collaboratively with 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.
How to Access Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra
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 on your oilseed crop, free of cost, available 24x7
Earlier in the day, the centre through a press release stated that the agriculture sector witnessed a significant overhaul in the past 12 years. "Streamlining supply chains through digital e-marketplaces, expanding climate-resilient crop varieties, and leveraging advanced scientific data have created a self-reliant, globally competitive generation of farmers," read the press release.
It added that Supply chains have been streamlined across the nation via digital e-marketplaces like e-NAM, while advanced scientific tools, including Soil Health Cards and climate-resilient crop varieties, have maximised yields. Backed by robust risk-mitigation ecosystems like PMFBY and the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, this rapid evolution proves that the journey toward Viksit Bharat is being actively written by a self-reliant, globally competitive generation of Indian farmers.
