HERALD REPORTER
Experts from Brazil interacted with farmers and agriculture officers to know about agricultural practice in the State and were particularly impressed with the cashew brewing process.
Cashew Feni Distillers & Bottlers Association showcased what goes into making of Feni through a short film at an interactive session held at Krishi Bhavan in city today.
Delegates from Sao Paulo, Brazil Orlando Melo Castro, Coordinator Vice President Agency Paulista Agribusiness Technology and Marcos Guimaraes de Andrade Landell, Deputy Vice President of APTA interacted with local participant - farmers, scientists and agriculture officers.
Castro said, in Brazil no part of the cashew fruit is wasted. The seeds are packaged and sold as is cashew juice, which is considered to be more nutritious than Orange juice. The residue of the crashed fruit is not thrown away either but is used as manure due to its rich nutritional content.
He pointed out that Goa and Brazil could benefit greatly form interacting with each other by sharing research studies and methods of processing.
They were in Indian on invitation of the Consul General of Brazil in Mumbai Fausto M Godoy who wanted them to interact with Indian counterparts.
They exchanged information on the nature of expertise employed in the cashew development and processing industry. Other topics included mechanization in cultivation of sugarcane and rice, production of cashew juice and processing, management practice for cashew cultivation and processing system for cashew kernel.
They were also keen on exchanging views and sharing information on the technological that is presently being carried out in and also keen to learn about the cultivation of tropical fruits such as mangoes and pineapples and the process involved in processing the produce.
The Indian spice farm and the possibility of implementing a similar system in Brazil is also being studied. The delegation will explore the possibilities for cross country trade and define specific areas in which to cooperate and identify areas of research, as well as establish contact with companies or institutes for government and private partnership in Brazil.
Reira Eco Ventures in association with Department of Agriculture and the Sao Paulo Agency of Agro Business Technology linked to the Department of Agriculture and Supply in Sao Paulo, Brazil had organized the interactive session on Agribusiness Technology. |