FABI welcomed eight new interns to the Institute on 5 February. The new cohort will complete a 12-month Internship in Phytosanitation and Biosecurity under the auspices of the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Plant Health Biotechnology at FABI. The new interns are: Annah Boreni, Forgiveness Chiloane, Charmaine Mabena, Nomasonto Mahlaba, Phenyo Mokgadi, Steven Shange, Nolusizu Sithole, and Nosihle Xulu. FABI Director Prof. Bernard Slippers welcomed the group before handing it over to the CPHB Project Manager and internship coordinator, Prof. Martin Coetzee, who introduced them to the Institute and outlined their roles and training in the Internship programme.

This year, FABI received sponsorship for six Interns’ training from the South African Cultivar & Technology Agency (SACTA). SACTA was created as the legitimate central institution which administers the breeding levies for all self-pollinated grain and oilseed crops, specifically wheat, barley, soya beans, oats and lupin cultivars.

One of the eight interns, funded by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), will be working in the FABI Diagnostic Clinic, where she will gain experience in various plant diagnostics methods, and one intern by Prof. Mike Wingfield to assist in diagnostic work.