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Goa to host Konkan fruit festival

Goa will host the Konkan Fruit Festival, showcasing over 150 varieties of fruits.

Panaji: Goa will host the Konkan Fruit Festival, showcasing over 150 varieties of fruits produced in the region, from April 29 to May 1, organisers said.
"Around 200 farmers from Goa and Konkan region will participate in the festival to be held on the street along the Mandovi river. This festival is an annual affair," Miguel Braganza, secretary, Botanical Society of Goa (BSG), told reporters. He said almost 60,000 footfalls are expected for the festival, which will be held over three days. Organisers expect that a variety of popular fruits like mango, jackfruit, kokum, chickoo, annona among others will be on display, to educate people about the rich horticultural bio diversity in the western ghat region. Braganza said almost 50 varieties of mango itself will be on the stalls. Goa-based farmer Srihari Kurade will display 30 varieties of mangoes produced at his farm in Cuncolim village, 40 kms away from here. Another farmer Prabhakar Keni will showcase varieties of mango, cashew and jackfruits, he said adding that farmers from Maharashtra`s Deogad, Kudal and Mutt areas of Konkan belt will also make their presence for the festival. Giving a typical Goan touch to the festival, organizers have roped in the Goa Tiatre Academy, which will present Konkani songs based on fruits during the festival. In yet another highlight, they will be displaying hurrak, the brewery produced from cashew fruit, at a special stall. Braganza said hurrak is produced by traditional `lawani` method in the state`s Sattari taluka. Various government, semi-government organisations and NGOs working in the field of horticulture including the BSG, State Directorate of Agriculture, Corporation of City of Panaji, Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), Regional Fruit Research Station, Vengurla, Konkan Krishi Vidyapith, Dapoli have joined hands to host the festival. Talks are also on with NABARD, state art and culture department and Food and drugs administration department to be the organisers, Braganza said. PTI