In
Goa there are some things that you just do not rattle. A well deserved siesta, boiled rice
and the kodi with the right thickness, a football game and sense of joie de
vivre that goes with drinking our
elixir- feni. So when you decide to tax the drink of the gods, the spirit which
heals, the medicine which cures, and the sustenance it gives, there is bound to
be trouble.
So when the government imposed a tax that is
expected to increase prices per bottle by almost 50 percent, there were no
cheers. The hit was not just on the pockets of Goans, but on the prestige of a
land.
Mac Vaz the Founder President of the Cashew
Feni Distillers and Bottlers Association said “Every state or country promotes
its own assets that are unique to that place. You go to Gujarat or Rajasthan,
there is a serious attempt to make you learn more about the culture of that
place and to experience it. Scotland promotes its Scotch around the world. The
state of Maharashtra promotes the wine that it produces. But we do it the other
way around. We impose a tax on something that is unique to Goa. Feni is a heritage
product of Goa. It needs to be protected and helped to grow and increase its
appeal. The state will benefit”.
And Vaz knows a thing or two about the drink,
as a front runner in ensuring that the
drink gets a GI status
He went on to say that the state ought to work
hard and ensure the brand equity that Feni had was not destroyed by a few
shopkeepers who were selling Feni at exorbitant rates which was wrong. Feni is
the only product in India which was given the GI or Geographical Indication. It
is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess
qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. In order to function as
a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in a given place.
Prajal Sakhardande Associate Professor of
History, Dhempe College of Arts and Science felt that imposing a tax on other
alcoholic drinks was ok but with regards to Feni he was absolutely opposed to
that move. He said “ Feni is a medicinal produce. It is part of our Goan ethos.
It is a poor man’s drink. Even those tourists who come to Goa to partake of
what is unique to the state may be turned off the dramatic increase in prices
and stay away. I remember as a child being given hot Feni when I fell ill.” The
government he said was not thinking about Goan culture and seems to think much
more about Maharashtrian culture. The Gaon ethos he said was slowly being
rubbed out.
However, Hansel Vaz Founder Cazulo premium
feni felt that more than taxes, regulation in the feni market was the need of
the hour. Hansel is also the Honorary Secretary of the Goa Cashew Feni
Distillers and Bottlers Association. He said the market was very young. This
tax was a bitter pill to swallow. He said this would delay the process to make
the drink more popular. Money earned by Feni he said was injected into the
rural hinterland. This move would affect Goa itself.
Managing partner at Cazkar Heritage Distiller
and President of Cashew Feni Distillers and Bottlers Association, Gurudatta
Bhakta however struck a contrarian view.
He said the government had done the right thing by levying a tax. He said
“There are people selling at Rs. 500, 750 or Rs 1000. They have increased on
MRP and the people have been cheated with the agent who takes the client to the
shop earning Rs 100 and the driver earning Rs 100. I am pained we have not been
able to compete with products like Vodka. People in Goa should show pride in
what they have.”
Others like Raya Shankhwalker a Panjim based
Architect felt this move was not right and would delay in increasing the
popularity of a drink that was so Goan. The poor people would now perhaps look
at spurious liquor because of the increase in the price. He bemoaned the
absence of feeling for something that was so uniquely Goan.
Clearly the move may be discussed in economic terms but
its impact is social. Feni is not a drink, it’s a sentiment. And that’s been
hurt.
