Agriculture minister Yogendra Sao (second from right) at the conclave in Ranchi on Wednesday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Goa, the land of sea, sand and feni. Jharkhand, the land of hills, waterfalls and handiya, er, feni.

Cashew, which most people like to munch while nursing a drink, may soon become a sip star here, if Jharkhand State Horticulture Mission has its way.

The state horticulture mission wants to distil fermented cashew juice into feni, a popular beverage so far held as Goa’s exclusive domain.

“We are working out modalities to make feni from cashew and health drinks related to kaju. We want to create branded cashew products derived in a few months,” said state horticulture mission director Prabhakar Singh.

The state horticulture mission, under state agriculture department, started its maiden two-day national conclave titled Kaju India 2013 in Ranchi on Wednesday.

Inaugurated by state agriculture minister Yogendra Sao, it was attended by cultivators, technical experts and researches from across the country. Jharkhand now wants to widen the area of cultivation of the nut, create cashew products and brand and package them well for more jobs.

“I am hoping our state emerges as leader in kaju production in India in the times to come,” Sao said.

“Cashew is a golden crop. For a state like Jharkhand, hit by poverty and Naxalism, capitalising on cashew is the need of the hour,” Singh stressed.

“Starting from three districts, cashew cultivation has now spread to 10 districts across 17 lakh hectares here,” he added. “Cashew, a rough-and-tough crop that thrives on even wastelands, has found favour among farmers.”

Major cashew districts are East Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan. By 2020, the state hopes to cultivate the nut on one lakh hectare wasteland.

Agriculture secretary Nitin M. Kulkarni hoped the two-day meet would help formulate a scientific roadmap for the state’s cashew mission.

“Unlike earlier, kaju production today is fast making its inroads into non-traditional regions such as Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, the Northeast, among other. Cashew can soon be the main horticulture crop,” Kulkarni said.

Kulkarni added though

India was a global leader in cashew, it couldn’t meet its domestic demand. “At present, India produces 7.28 lakh metric tonnes a year. Yet, we import around 8 lakh metric tonnes from Africa, the value of which is some Rs 5,000 crores. The gap needs to be plugged,” he added.

The central horticulture mission was launched in 2005-06, with Jharkhand following suit a year later. “The Government of India adjudged our work as one of the best in the country,” said Prabhakar.

Will you try the cashew feni? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com