State to focus spotlight on coconut and cashew

PANAJI: The tourism department is planning an event to promote two important agrarian crops of the State: cashew and coconut.
It plans to conduct cashew and coconut festivals in April and May. The director of tourism, Nikhil Desai, told reporters on Tuesday that they have received suggestions from industry stakeholders that feni should be promoted.

Desai stated it was "a wonderful idea", and that feni has to be endorsed as a unique beverage of the state. "Many European countries do haveunique drinks that originated from some fruit or the other," he said.
"Both crops have influenced the lives of Goans in some way or the other," he said.
Besides beverages distilled from the two fruits, various handicrafts and other items are made using the remains of the fruit.
Desai said that there are a number of artists in the state who have produced various items from coconut shells. "There is an artist who has made 500 items using coconuts," said the tourism director.
Considering that coconut is a base in Goa's cookery, the spotlight is likely to be coconut cuisine. Also, cashew kernel is used in cooking as also cashew nuts. The tourism director said that the event will be planned taking all stakeholders into confidence, and that the final details of the event will be decided later.
There was some resentment among cashew feni distillers that Goa's unique drink is not given any importance while the tourism ministry has been holding wine festivals for a few years now.

Source: India Times