Panjim: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) strongly condemned the BJP government’s proposal to amend the rules under Excise Law to abolish auctioning of cashew zones.
They said this is aimed to help the industrial houses from outside Goa to destroy the traditional Goan cottage industry manufacturing the world famous Cashew Feni.
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Briefing reporters, AAP convener Rahul Mhambre pointed out that for centuries now, Goans have been producing Urrack and Cashew Feni in a unique manner by cooperation and have even succeeded in getting GI classification.
He added that besides producing the alcohol those involved in its manufacture also preserve and conserve nature by maintaining the cashew orchards and replanting them to replace the dead trees. “Thus this co-operative movement has been protecting and preserving our environment in a big way,” he said.
The general practice is that the government auctions cashew zones which are notified in different places of the State and the person who succeeds at the auction, then sets up pots to distil the fermented cashew juice and following the distillation process either Urrack or Feni is produced.
At a meeting held on November 18, the government announced its decision to amend the Excise rules to abolish the auction of cashew zones, which indicates that there will be no longer pot stills installed to distil Urrack or Cashew Feni.
While pointing out that very few stakeholders were present for the meeting held on November 18.
Rahul asserted that the government cannot just amend the rules without consulting the majority of the stakeholders.
Besides, he said the government move is clearly aimed at delineating ethnic Goans from their traditional and age-old occupation and paving the way for non-Goa industrial houses to enter this business at the cost of common Goan.
“Cashew Feni is the identity of Goa, it is part of Goa’s heritage and culture and this has been reflected in various national and international films even,” said Rahul while asserting that the BJP State government cannot be allowed to destroy this.
Rahul added that Goans have already lost their beaches to hoteliers and BJP allowed their rivers to be captured by casino owners and now, they plan to hand over traditional occupation and heritage drink to industrialists.
“Would you like to drink industrial cashew Feni? Commercial production of Feni will also result in destruction of nature as there will be indiscriminate harvesting of the fruit without a care for its rejuvenation or maintenance as is being done at the moment where the cashew pluckers treat the tree as their family member,” he concluded.
