Leh: Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Friday announced an increase in the procurement price of Sea Buckthorn berries from Rs 150 to a minimum of Rs 300 per kg, a 100 per cent increase officials say is aimed at increasing farmers’ income.
Saxena made the announcement on the inaugural day of the two-day International Sea Buckthorn Conclave held in Leh.
The lieutenant governor said this significant increase in production price is aimed at increasing the income of farmers and local communities engaged in sea buckthorn production, often called the wonder berry of Ladakh.
The LG also released a postal cover featuring Ladakh’s Sea Buckthorn, recognising the region’s distinctive natural resource and its growing identity.
The Sea Buckthorn Conclave is being held to bring together 20 top buyers and around 120 MSME-registered entrepreneurs and self-help groups involved in the ecosystem, along with technical experts, scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs from Mongolia, Vietnam and Arunachal Pradesh, providing an opportunity to exchange knowledge and learn from experiences in developing the berry as an economic resource. Wild sea buckthorn grows in dense, thorny bushes, making extraction so difficult that almost 85 percent of the annual crop is wasted.
To improve this stark 15 percent commercial utilisation rate, LG Saxena has directed that crop recovery be boosted to at least 50 percent this year, with a strict target of achieving 100 per cent utilisation by next year, by adopting modern harvesting techniques to meet the growing demand for berries across the country.
Saxena stressed that improved harvesting techniques, value addition, packaging and market linkages are essential to achieving this goal.
“At present, sea buckthorn grows naturally across Ladakh, which often makes harvesting difficult for farmers. In the coming times, we will be promoting the cultivation of sea buckthorn in a curated manner so as to harvest maximum produce. A comprehensive action plan is being chalked out to develop a complete value chain within Ladakh, right from cultivation, harvest, processing, packaging and marketing, so that a larger share of the economic value reaches the local farmers, entrepreneurs and local communities,” he said.
The LG highlighted harvesting as one of the major challenges confronting sea buckthorn farmers in Ladakh.
At present, much of the resource grows naturally, and extracting berries from thorny bushes is difficult, labour-intensive and time-consuming, resulting in a significant loss of the produce, he said.
Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving international recognition to sea buckthorn by calling it a “Sanjeevani” during his “Mann ki Baat” programme, the LG said the GI registration of Ladakh Sea Buckthorn was an important milestone in establishing its identity, authenticity and brand value in national and international markets.
He also noted its inclusion under the ‘One District One Product’ initiative for Leh district, which has provided further impetus to the sector.
The Union Ministry of Agriculture, on the request of Saxena, has also constituted a high-level committee to examine the establishment of a dedicated National Sanjeevani Research Centre in Nubra Valley for research, development, genetic improvement, propagation, harvesting, and value addition of sea buckthorn.
Breaking away from conventional conference halls, the Sea Buckthorn conclave has been hosted amidst the natural ambience of the Choglamsar forest — sea buckthorn grows extensively, thereby providing delegates with an immersive, on-ground experience of witnessing the plant’s native habitat and the natural growth patterns, a Lok Bhavan spokesperson said.
