PANJIM: The Goa government-formed core committee that is chalking out plans to brand the heritage drink feni across the globe is likely to submit a report next week.
“A report is expected to be completed next week, after which it will be submitted to the government for an approval,” said an official emerging from the meeting headed by Chief Secretary Dharmendra Sharma and attended by excise officials besides the stakeholders.
Once it is standardised, liquor manufactures will have to seek FDA certification for packing and labelling of the feni bottles.
Feni is reportedly he first and only liquor in the country to get the Geographical Indication Status. The then chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar had stated that feni was wrongly classified as country liquor, as its uses are many and has medicinal value. A Bill was thereafter passed in the State Legislative Assembly classifying the drink as the Heritage spirit of Goa. The excise department recently tied up with the Goa University to conduct a research on the traditional drink.
