Wait over, sea buckthorn cultivation from July

Neena Sharma

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27

Uttarakhand is betting high on sea buckthorn, a wild fruit bearing plant, growing abundantly in the higher altitude of the state, as a means to improve the economic condition of the impoverished farmers and give a boost to the herbal medicine industry in the state.

After a wait for almost eight years, the commercial cultivation of sea buckthorn will start in Pithoragarh, Chamoli and Uttarkashi next month with the help of root cuttings procured from Palampur university in Himachal Pradesh.

“We had prepared the plant material from seeds which will take at least six to seven years for the plant to bear fruits, but as we are keen on commercial cultivation, the Palampur university will provide us root cuttings of sea buckthorn which will be distributed among farmers for commercial cultivation to take place in the middle of July,” said Dr VP Bhatt, a scientist, who is spearheading the project in the state for which funds have been provided by the National Medicinal Plant Board.

To ensure that the interest of farmers towards the sea buckthorn cultivation continues, these root cuttings which will bear fruits within a short span of two to three years are being procured from Palampur.

However, the material prepared from the seeds will be planted in the van panchayat land extensively. “Next year, we will prepare the planting material by taking cuttings in the spring season, so that these are ready for plantation in July,” added Bhatt.

The orange-coloured fruit has been traditionally used by villagers to treat skin ailments and minor cuts but it is the curative aspect of the fruit that is engaging the scientist. “The drink made from the fruit can fight diabetes, other lifestyle diseases and even cancer,” said Dr BS Negi, Director, Horticulture.

Along with encouraging cultivation of sea buckthorn, studies are under way at the Herbal Research and Development Institute (HRID), Gopeshwar, to experiment on the medicinal properties of the fruit.

“We have already prepared a drink from the fruit and have come up with herbal tea preparation from the seeds extracts of the fruit. Every part of the plant is useful, the leaves are used as fodder for animals,” said Dr Negi.

Experts in the herbal industry say these products from sea buckthorn, if positioned properly in the herbal market, could bring rich harvest for the state.