The Cashew Festival, which was conceptualised on the basis of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Swayampurna Goa, has attracted a huge public, and this has underlined the importance of this festival, said Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, who further announced that henceforth the festival will be celebrated as a state festival. Dr Sawant inaugurated the two-day festival at Campal Ground and highlighted that Cashew feni has been included in the GI index now, and on that basis, this drink can be promoted as ‘heritage drink’ of Goa. The concepts such as cashew and tourism, cashew and culture would attract not only the Goans but the tourists too. The festival will achieve great heights, and the States that grow cashew would follow Goa’s footsteps in organising such state-level festivals," said Dr Sawant. The festival displayed handicrafts from the local artisans. The cashew that is grown all over the State has reached the capital city. The efforts of Forest Development Corporation would take this fruit to the international level. Goa’s handicrafts also would reach a global market, hoped the CM. "The support price for cashew has been increased. This increased rate will be given for the last season's crop," said Sawant. In her address, Deviya Rane, president of the Goa State Forest Development Corporation, attributed the cashew festival to rural women. "There is great demand for cashews in Goa. But around 40% of the demand cannot be fulfilled due to lower production. Therefore, more land would be brought under cashew cultivation," said Rane. "We are planning to do scientific cultivation of cashew on 9,000 hectares of land. Also, various products that are made out of this fruit and nuts, would be processed in the State. Cashew is not just a fruit but a way of living for the people of Goa," added Rane. Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane said that we can make use of our forest land and make the state financially sustainable. One has to think outside the box, to make this possible, said Rane. Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said the cashew has come from Brazil, but has not taken root here. "We are searching for new options for increasing tourist footfall. We have many things that can be used innovatively to attract more tourists and develop as a state," said Khaunte.