The strong winter this year and foggy conditions haven’t helped the cashew crop. This has left feni makers and bottlers looking at the season ahead with trepidation
Normally, distilleries start making feni out of cashew juice in the beginning of March. However, this year, a number of distilleries are still buying cashew crop, which means there is a delay in the process of feni manufacturing.
Gurudatta Bhakta, Managing Partner, Cazcar, said, “The availability of cashew apples has certainly been delayed this year due to climate change. My vehicle was there on March 14 to collect cashew apples. In normal circumstances, I should have started distillation on March 4, but this year, I am starting distillation 10 days late.”
“Winter was stronger this year in Goa. Due to this, flowering did not get the support of heat. As a result, a number of crops are delayed, including cashews and mangoes. I don’t know whether I will get adequate cashew apples to make desired quantity of feni or not this year. My assessment is overall manufacturing of cashew feni this year may be less than last year.”
If flowers yield cashew apples later than usual, then feni manufacturers will have to wait till the end of May to get adequate quantity of cashew apples to make the brew from their juice. It is absolutely necessary for cashew apples that high temperature is maintained so that flowers yield fruits well into May.
Dr A R Desai, Principal Scientist, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR-Goa), said, “This season peak flowering of cashew crop was delayed by one month. Normally, flowering starts by November-end or December beginning. This time too, the flowering started, but then, there was a break, which caused this delay.
“Typically, first flowering should be followed by second flash. This second flash was delayed due to variations in weather. First flowering mostly yields 75% male flowers and 25% bisexual flowers. It is these bisexual flowers, which result in fruiting. But, this time, these also did not yield fruiting,” he continued.
Dr Desai continued, “Second flash is the major fruiting flower. Flowering was affected due to incidence of fog. Now that flowering is delayed, we will get fruits later. However, if rains start as usual, then, cashew apples will get damaged by winds and rain. In normal years, rains start in Goa in the first week of June and by then cashew apples are already picked up to make feni.”
It is certain that fruiting too will be late this time because flowering has been already delayed. Due to this, ripe cashew apples will be available right till the end of May. Unexpected rains in May can damage cashew apples, which will make things really difficult for feni manufacturers.
Hansel Vaz, Founder of Cazulo brand of feni, said, “The flowering of cashew crop has been late this year by about three weeks. Due to this, even fruiting has been late. This happened due to prolonged winter this time. If we get showers in May, crop will get affected.”
Most feni brands actually are bottlers, who procure manufactured feni from distillers. In many cases, the distillers make feni under the guidance and instructions of the bottler because ultimately it is the bottler’s brand, which is at stake.
Big brands like Cazulo keep stocks of feni so that weather changes don’t end up being a spoilsport for them. However, smaller bottlers are significantly more exposed to weather changes.
Vaz said, “I buy feni and bottle it. I buy feni one year in advance. That’s the reason that the feni, which I am going to sell in 2018-19, is already in my godown. Even if crop fails this year, which will be the worst case, we have stock of feni for one year.”
Although most feni manufacturers are apprehensive of weather changes this year, but Regan Henriques, Owner, Rhea Distilleries is more optimistic.
Henriques said, “I don’t think that weather changes will badly impact cashew feni production this year. Even if it rains in May, only ripe cashew apples will fall while the raw ones will not fall. Only if we have cyclone like situation cashew apples will be badly damaged.”
“We buy cashew feni and keep it in stock for one full year. We buy cashew feni from distillation units and bottle it. However, I do my own distillation as well. There are times I buy urrack and other times I buy feni. If I am unhappy with the quality of feni I bought, I redistill it myself,” Henriques continued.
The fact that last year cashew crop was good does give a cushion to feni makers. Few of them have already bought and kept cashew feni for this year in their godowns. But, for those, who haven’t done that, this year looks doubtful.
Moreover, weather has shown a lot of unpredictability in this season. Last week itself, Goa received mild showers. If this continues, flowers on cashew trees will find it difficult to yield cashew apples. If that happens, feni production this year may take a hit. For now, it is wait and watch for feni-makers as they are hoping that weather doesn’t spoil the party for them this year.
