The Sugar Research Institute of Fiji (SRIF) is in need of larger molecular laboratories to support its research initiatives, according to CEO Dr. Vinesh Kumar. He expressed these thoughts during a meeting with the High Commissioner of India to Fiji, Shri Palaniswamy Subramanyan Karthigeyan, at the SRIF headquarters last week.
Dr. Kumar highlighted a significant challenge the institute faces, particularly the presence of unapproved varieties of sugarcane in the Northern Division. “We have a lot of mixed varieties of cane and we want to extract the Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA),” he stated.
Dr. Geetha Nandagopal, head of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme’s crop protection department, has been working with SRIF for two years and has made notable contributions by collaborating with local scientists on disease identification and control.
While Dr. Kumar mentioned that SRIF possesses sufficient technology and a variety of cane that could sustain the sugar industry, he noted the importance of farmers adapting to these resources to fully utilize their potential.