TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Coconut and Cashew Festival that was cancelled owing to sudden pre-monsoon showers this week, has been tentatively confirmed for December with Tourism Department hoping for a good participation.
The department for the first time has started the festival to display various uses and products of two of these most important nuts abundantly found in Goa. The five-day long event – from May 21 to 25 – was planned to spread social awareness among tourists and locals, and also to promote agro-tourism in the State.
About 50 Goa-based participants comprising wholesalers, hoteliers, associations and related agencies had confirmed their participation. The unexpected rainfall, however, played spoilsport.
“Since it had been raining, we decided not to go ahead with the festival. We cannot argue with the nature…the government will indeed hold the festival post-monsoon season, probably in December,” said a senior tourism official terming the entire episode as ‘disappointing.’
With its focus on agro tourism, the tourism department also designed the event in such a way that it would also showcase dishes of cashew and coconut; and also project its local brew feni and handicraft items. More so, fun games associated with coconut tree climbing was also part of the event. “The entire concept still survives. All this will be part of the festival in December,” added the official.
Nonetheless, postponement of the vent had not resulted in direct revenue loss as the advertising agency – AMO Communication Pvt Ltd – that was chosen to organize the festival, had covered it under an insurance policy.
“The agency had insured the event. The government had directed the winning bidder to insure to prevent probable untoward incident… There is no direct loss,” the official disclosed.
