Feni, not catching up with the times, unable to expand market By Frederick Noronha [EMAIL PROTECTED]
PANJIM, April 25: Feni -- Goa's unique and traditional alcohol beverage distilled from the cashew apple -- is showing a sharp decline in production. Compared to 1.089 million litres of cashew Feni produced in 1971, there was just 0.875 million litres produced in 2004. In contrast, the Indian-made foreign liquor production climed from 0.202 million litres to a phenomenal 18.99 million litres in the same period. "IMFL is outgrowing feni," says a baseline study of Goa's feni industry, undertaken by Pranab Mukhopadhyay of Goa University and the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics, with the aid of other researchers. Significantly, Feni is classified as a country liquor and therefore not able to be sold outside the State. It is among the best known country liquors in India. Earlier Feni was considered a "poor man's drink", but is now in demand with tourists and higher income considers as an "identity drink", says the study. For the most part, the bulk of Feni's production is semi-traditional. Feni production has a complex chain. It has 19 bottlers and 94 wholesellers in Goa. On the other hand, there are as many as 2656 licensed stills in Goa, and 6589 retailers. There are also some 1532 cashew zones in Goa. Incidentally, the north-eastern sub-district of Sattari is the Feni capital of Goa. It has the largest number of zone/bids (561 out of 1532 all over Goa), as many as 853 stills (Goa's total is 2565) and accounts for nearly 20% of Goa's total cashew area. Pernem taluka is another large cashew area, followed by Bicholim and Sanguem. Bicholim has the second-largest number of feni stills, followed by Bardez and Ponda. Mukhopadhyay et al found that Feni is "not a homogenous product". It comes with differences in its production technique, and product quality (specially concentration levels). "There is a lack of uniform product-testing mechanism. Feni is largely sold unbranded, but some brands have emerged due to private initiatives," said the study by Mukhopadhyay and the team. Bottlers in the field are usually educated (85% graduates), while distillers are mostly poorly educated (nearly 50% are below Class 8). Nearly 30% of distillers had their businesses started by their fathers, and for 12% of those surveyed, it was their grandfathers who ventured into the traditional trade. On the other hand, over 81% of wholesalers were first generation businessmen in the field. For distillers, it was mostly a form of 'barefoot capitalism', and small players dominated the field. Some 73% of distillers surveyed had just one still running. "Most of the people involved in the Feni industry said they are first generation producers. Large majority claimed to have only one still," said Mukhopadhyay. Some 77.5% of stills surveyed were founded to be semi-traditional -- copper pots, with a barrel filled with water for condensation. Modern stills (steel or copper stills with cooling done by large water tanks of concrete or cement) accounted for just 2.6 percent of those surveyed. Unbranded sales dominate the Feni market in Goa. But some bottlers are now reporting that even Urak -- the lighter grade of cashew liquor -- is being bottled now. "75% of the distillers sell to bars directly, while bottlers route their sales through wholesellers," says the study. Quality is tested on the basis of the 'grao', taste-based methods, traditional ways (by pouring in a glass and stirring to see if bubbles are formed) and other means. "This is largely an unorganised industry. There was no group found among distillers, retailers or wholesellers," found the study. "Only the majority of bottlers claimed to be part of an association." ENDS