Panaji: The third round of auctioning of cashew orchard zones that weren’t sold will begin this month, the state excise department said. As many as 887 zones are yet to be sold after first two rounds of auction were conducted in the first two months of the year.The unclaimed zones can be bought through open tendering at a later date according to the excise department which is responsible for the auctioning. The excise department has over 1,675 cashew orchard zones across talukas in Goa., of which 788 have been auctioned in the first two rounds.Over half the cashew zones in each of the state’s 12 talukas are usually never taken up during auction. There are no takers for these zones as many people have given up the conventional trade of cashew distilling.Last season, 368 zones were left unclaimed even after three rounds of auctioning and subsequent open tendering, the excise department official said.The officer said this season the department earned Rs 12 lakh from 203 zones through the first round and Rs 4 lakh from 133 zones in round two. “All zones, which are not taken, will be thrown open in the third round of auctioning that begins next week,” he said.When the open tendering begins, applicants get a chance to rent out a zone for a lesser price than what would have been paid through regular auctioning. It was also observed that some traders deliberately avoid participating in the first three rounds of auctions, so that they can quote a lesser price for the zones with no takers. The government plans to put an end to this practice, but it will probably need another cashew crop season for it to be implemented.

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