The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has announced to start planting seabuckthorn in the cold desert areas of the state. The announcement was made during the state budget presentation.
- The sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is a deciduous shrub belongs to the family Elaegnaceae.
- The shrub has a vast area of natural growth in temperate regions of the world mainly in Mongolia, China, Tibet, Russia, Canada, India, Pakistan, and Nepal.
- The plant is hardy and it can withstand extreme temperatures from -43ºC to 40ºC and it is considered to be drought tolerant.
- Seabuckthorn berries are among the most nutritious of all fruits.
- Fruit juice is rich in sugar, organic acids, amino acids, essential fatty acids, phytosterol, flavonoids, vitamins and mineral elements.
- The plant is known as a remedy for horses.
- Ladakh remains the major site for natural Seabuckthorn resource with over 70% of the total area (13,000 ha) under Seabuckthorn in the country.
(Reference: https://midh.gov.in/PDF/Seabuckthorn%20Report%2026th%20April,%202018.pdf)
