Goan feni to set sail for foreign shores, with mahua to follow

Goa's famous feni, a cashew fruit-based alcoholic beverage, may soon find its way to the shelves of overseas liquor stores, with the Indian government encouraging the industry to adopt international standards and streamline supply chains.

- Dilasha Seth & Ravi Dutta

The government is also working to formalize the production of mahua-another of India's oldest indigenous liquors-made by fermenting flowers and found commonly in central India.

The standards pertain to bottling, packaging and processing, in line with international norms.

While cashew feni won geographical indication (GI) in 2009, that for mahua is in the pre-examination stage.

Securing GI-a distinctive sign used to identify a product whose quality, reputation or other characteristics related to its geographical origin-will help give it a distinct identity in the overseas markets. The GI tag ensures that no one other than those registered as authorized producers can use the popular product name.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the nodal agri-export promotion body, is working with the Indian alcoholic beverage associations to discuss challenges and how to encourage exports of India's indigenous liquor.