Goa cashew fest to create awareness about safe driving

PANAJI: A three-day Goa Cashew Fest 2026, scheduled from April 10 to 12 in Panaji, will not only promote feni and cashew products but will also create awareness about safe driving. "We have a lot of things to showcase this time, but the most important aspect of the festival is our campaign 'Drive Safe Goa'," Deviya Rane, chairperson of Goa Forest Development Corporation (GFDC), said. With the rise in accidents, Rane said they are using the platform to create awareness about safe driving.

Organised by GFDC, the fourth edition of the festival will have experts discussing cashew cultivation, feni production, and techniques of desilting.

Industry stakeholders will share their experience of taking forward their business amid competition and new trends. Having already attained a GI tag for feni, Rane said they are now awaiting the setting up of a cashew board that chief minister Pramod Sawant announced in his budget Friday.

The festival, she said, will focus on sustainability, supporting rural livelihoods by celebrating the state's rich agricultural heritage. It offers stakeholders visibility and people a chance to know how the industry remained rooted in the face of competition, she said.

"Goa has a special connection with cashews. It is not just some fruit. It has a legacy which needs to be highlighted," she said.

Rane said since the festival started, they started focusing on rejuvenation of cashew plantations in areas with a high concentration of cashew orchards. "Rejuvenation of cashew plantations in Quepem, Canacona, and Ponda has already started. The efforts have already started yielding results and the area under cashew cultivation has increased," she said. Experts warned that one of the reasons for falling cashew yield is aging trees.

The festival will have 32 food stalls showcasing a variety of cashew products and beverage stalls.

Some of the stalls will be put up by self-health groups. Evenings will see entertainment programmes, including a live programme. The cashew fest will also have one or two stalls to showcase how traditionally cashew apples were crushed and brew extracted.

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