Riten Chand Gosai

"Man - despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication and his many accomplishments - owes his existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains" - Paul Harvey

 

The profound message contained with-in the above few lines struck me so deep that I had my sights set on a career in Agriculture right from secondary school. In a society where experiences of struggle, stereotype, negative mindsets and lack of awareness has created a ranking way too low for agricultural studies, going against the norm was not easy; however, a choice I have never regretted making. In fact, I consider it as one of the best decisions I have made in my life.

 

I graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Agriculture from the University of the South Pacific’s Alafua campus (located in Samoa) in 2010. After winning the Pacific Regional award at an essay contest in South Africa in the same year, I became affiliated with the Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation (CTA) as a pioneer member of the Agriculture and Rural Development Youths in the Information Society (ARDYIS) program. Through this, I gained valuable experience as an advocate for prioritizing agriculture and negating the obstacles which prevent youths from pursuing agricultural studies in Fiji and the Pacific at large.

 

I became employed with the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji (BAF) in May 2011. Working for the prime regulatory and plant protection organisation of Fiji, I developed deep interest in agro-security, plant quarantine (biosecurity), plant disease diagnosis and epidemiology. To pursue this interest further, I applied for and received a scholarship in 2014 from the US Department of State for masters studies in Tropical Plant Pathology at the University of Hawaii – Manoa. I graduated from the program in December, 2016 and joined BAF as a Plant Pathologist in January 2017. In March 2017 I was also appointed the Head of Communications (HOC). 

 

In less than two years (November 2018), my contribution and commitment to protecting Fiji’s plant health and resources was recognized further when I was appointed the Senior Plant Protection Officer (SPPO) through a rigid recruitment process that also included credible candidates from organizations outside of BAF. Hence, I presently serve as SPPO and HOC for BAF.