Panaji: Goa's liquor industry has moved an application seeking patent for the local brew feni, a step, if successful, will provide a fillip to the multi-million sector in the tourist state.

The application is pending with the Chennai-based Union government-recognised registering authority, GI. "We are in touch with the registering authority and the state government has assigned the Science and Technology Department to be the formal applicant on behalf of the feni industry of Goa," Mac Vaz, President, All Goa Feni Bottlers and Distillers Association (AGFBDA), told PTI.

The Indian government, under the WTO terms, has empowered GI as registering authority for patent, he said. This industry, which has 4,000-odd small scale units under its umbrella in Goa alone, got the boost when Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industries (GCCI) decided to take up its cause.

Feni, a cashew-based liquor with 42.8 per cent alcohol, is an identity of the state and very popular with tourists. "We don't want to lose it to someone else and hence we have initiated the process," Vaz stated.