Goa govt eyes to export local goodies like cashew, jackfruit

The Goa government is exploring the possibility of exporting to foreign countries local products like cashew, jackfruit, mango and kokum, a souring agent used in cooking, Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar told the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.

He said this in a written reply to a question asked by BJP MLA and Deputy Speaker Isidore Fernandes.

Kavlekar said the state-run Goa Horticulture Corporation Ltd (GHCL) had already exported bhendi (lady's finger/okra) vegetable to the Netherlands.

"The corporation exported 1,379 kgs of bhendi to the Netherlands," he said. However, he did not mention the year of export in the reply.

The government is encouraging farmers to produce cashew, jackfruit, mango, kokum which are grown in Goa and have very high potential for export, Kavlekar added.

"Schemes are formulated under the state budget for promotion of these crops. Support can also be extended for processing and their value addition through central schemes like the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, National Horticulture Mission (NHM), etc," he added.

According to Kavlekar, the officials working under Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) in North and South Goa are creating awareness for promotion of this programme so that farmers get better remuneration for their crops.