For the first time ever, Goa is moving to make its heritage drink, feni, available across the country.
“The state excise department is in the process of writing to other states to make feni available there for sale, and also to make it available at all duty-free shops. At present, you cannot sell feni in other states,” Goa Forest Development Corporation (GFDC) chairperson Deviya Rane said
The GFDC chairperson also revealed a startling statistic: Of the seven cashew-producing states in the country, Goa languishes at the bottom of the list. She said that nationally, cashew production stands at 760kg per hectare, but in Goa, it is 454kg per hectare, putting it at the seventh and last spot among all states which produce cashew commercially – Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, and Nadu.
The cashew sapling first came from Brazil to Goa through its Portuguese colonisers, and the crop was then introduced to the rest of India from Goa.