ASSISTANT lecturer of the Fiji National University, Ashmit Kumar has received a scholarship from the Chinese Government to pursue his Master’s Degree in Crop Genetics and Breeding.
Mr Kumar said he wanted to study genetic diversity to improve molecular breeding techniques of rice varieties.
The 24-year-old said he was thrilled to hear that he was considered for the scholarship and he feels privileged to have received the opportunity to study at the Chinese Academy of Agriculture Science in Beijing.
Mr Kumar who will be departing for China on September 3.said he had applied for the same scholarship last year but was unsuccessful that is why he applied again this year.
“Rice is one of the important cereal crops and the consumption of rice is very high in the world and that is why I have opted to study genetic diversity,” said Mr Kumar.
He said that this is a three year program where he will also do his research in China.
He stressed that in modern agriculture, crop improvement is the answer to most of the problems whether it is linked to pest diseases, soil types or climate conditions.
