At the turn of the millennium, when JK Dadoo, IAS, was in Goa, the government tested the waters for registration of a ‘Geographical Indication’ or GI in favour of Goa. It was around the same time that Desmond Nazareth was working his way around the GI for ‘Tequila’ in favour of Guadalajara province of Mexico to market his India-grown Agave americana spirit in Goa. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Both of them succeeded in making a mark. Now, work is being expedited to get a proper classification for ‘Cashew feni’ which has had a GI for Goa since 2009. The name is as important in this game as the product’s quality assurance. The cashew tree, football and Carnival may have their origins in Brazil, but Goa has a GI for, both, cashew feni and Goan cashew nuts. We have to learn to cash in on cashews as we have done with Carnival to boost tourism since the 1970s. That is the test of entrepreneurship. The cashew tree, football and Carnival may have their origins in Brazil, but Goa has a GI for, both, cashew feni and Goan cashew nuts. ENTERPRISING MINDS There are entrepreneurs of different ages and backgrounds. In the early 1970s, Anand Gajanand Falari planted cashew grafts of the Vengurla series (from V-1 to V-4) on the hillside at Nanoda, a short distance from Assonora. The grafts were provided to him, and other farmers, by the Directorate of Agriculture, government of Goa, Daman & Diu which had obtained them from the RFRS nursery of DBSKKV-Dapoli, located in Vengurla. In 1983, he brought a mali from RFRS-Vengurla and prepared about a thousand grafts. After planting to fill the gaps in his orchard, he had about five hundred to spare. Under the guidance of then Horticulture Officer, Ramesh Joshi, the grafts were procured and distributed to fifty farmers in the Bicholim zone in 1984, under my supervision. The grafts started flowering in late 1984 itself. An order was placed to produce five thousand grafts in 1985. The rest is history. CASHEWS: GROWING, EATING, DRINKING The popular Vengurla-4 cashew is a red apple selection with bold nuts, and a good yield that is ready for harvest from the end of January to March. If you are drinking urrak in February, it is thanks to this early maturing variety. The ICAR-CCARI, at Old Goa, has released Goa-1, 2, 3 and 4 selections for specific uses. There are also grafts of other varieties available in Goa. The best time to plant is now if there is an irrigation system, or else, with the onset of the first rains in June for rain-fed conditions. In any case, you would do well to buy the grafts now. Botanically speaking, the cashew ‘apple’ may not be a fruit, but it is the spirit that matters to a Goan. We, Goans, call it urrak and drink it all summer. The balance quantity is converted into feni for the rainy days that follow summer. Anacardium occidentale is close to our hearts. The cashew nut is the botanical fruit that drives us nuts at Carnival time. The nuts are separated from the cashew apples, which are then juiced and fermented with native yeasts before distilling the spirits. The traditional lavnni is the best method for this process till date. It is the best practice in the trade for the production of urrak and feni. Interestingly, both of these spirits can be enjoyed with roasted cashew nuts.