Feni according to the Goa Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2016, has been elevated to the status of heritage spirit. The bill was introduced by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar in the state assembly on Monday. This brings the locally brewed feni on par with other spirits such as whisky and tequila.
“Having considered diverse uses of ‘feni’ in cultural traditions, cuisines, medicinal purpose, etc., which is synonymous to the Goan identity, the Government of Goa has decided to separately define ‘feni’ and establish its unique and well deserved status by declaring this liquor as the heritage spirit of Goa,” said the amendment Bill introduced during the ongoing assembly session.
Feni is produced from two sources. One being from the apple of the cashew tree and other being the toddy extracted from a coconut palm. Feni is currently categorised as country liquor. The spirit was the first in India to get a Geographical Indication (GI).
The amendment bill states, “GI benefits the primary and traditional stakeholders, enabling trade in world markets and positioning it on equal footing with the world famous Scotch Whiskey and Tequila.”
Image credit – www.fenidrink.com
