Goa government trying to 'corporatise' feni

Panaji: Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat, as well as feni distillers in Goa, have accused the state government of trying to 'corporatise' feni manufacture, by trying to alter the state excise laws dealing with country liquor, in order to facilitate mass manufacture.

In a statement issued on Monday, Kamat said efforts were on to alter the state Excise Act to "facilitate entry of liquor barons and commercialisation of the heritage drink of Goa". "The unique tradition of auctioning of cashew groves and setting up of pot stills is unique to Goa and India. The tradition has been practiced unchanged for centuries and whose legacy has to be continued for generations to come in order that we safeguard the interest of the small and marginal artisanal distillers," Kamat said.

"Any change to the existing Excise Act or Rules will bring about senses of cultural disarray, economic insecurity, confusion and monopolistic culture which will have lasting detrimental effect on Goan traditional industry and Goa at large," the former Chief Minister also said. Kamat statement follows fears expressed by the All Goa Cashew Feni Distillers and Bottlers Association, who incidentally are co-owners of the G.I. for cashew feni, about efforts being made by the government to mass manufacture of feni by corporate entities.

"The sinister plan is to remove, dilute and change all existing licensing, laws or governing hurdles in order to allow the mass production of feni and thereafter the wholesale takeover of the feni industry from Goans into the hands of big multinational corporations or the wolves of the IMFL lobby. This is about more than Feni - Goa and our entire way of life is under threat," Hansel Vaz, a member of the association as well as distiller of the popular brand 'Cazulo Premium Feni'.

Cashew feni is distilled from fermented juice extracted from the cashew apple and is a popular alcoholic beverage in Goa. The cashew apple is harvested from orchards by farmers, who lease the tracts from the government every season. The juice from the apples is then fermented and distilled using traditional equipment. A similar process is also used to distill coconut feni from palm today. Cashew feni is also the country's first indigenous liquor to obtain the Geographical Indication tag. In 2016, the Goa government had passed amendment to the state excise law, elevating feni, a popular locally brewed cashew-based alcohol, to the status of a heritage spirit, bringing it on par with scotch whisky and tequila.