Sea Buckthorn (Part 1)
For an economic impetus to Ladakh
Ladakh is a land of unexplored, untapped potential. I’ve discussed in the past how the unique Bactrian camels of Ladakh can provide a much-needed economic boost for the locals.
Sea buckthorn provides another way for economic and ecological growth in the region.
It is a very useful fruit shrub which grows in the colder region of the Himalayas, where very few plants can grow and survive.
Sea buckthorn belongs to the Hippophae genus of the Elaeagnaceae family. Hippophae rhamnoides is the most common subspecies, though eight others have been found.
It grows naturally in the States of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Sea buckthorn is grown on around 13000 ha of land in India, with Ladakh alone accounting for 70% of this area. Using satellite data, the area under pure sea buckthorn in Ladakh is 7184 ha, while the area under mixed sea buckthorn is 2083 ha.
Sea buckthorn is very thorny and bears orange colour berries, which are full of antioxidants and vitamin C.
Its efficacy is evident from the fact that every part of the sea buckthorn plant—fruit, leaf, twig, root, and thorn—is traditionally used for medicine, nutritional supplements, firewood, and even fences.
In Himachal Pradesh, especially in the Lahul –Spiti area, it is used in their traditional “Kimichi,” a medicinal System. Internationally, it’s been utilised for a very long time as an ingredient of Tibetan and Mongolian medicine.
Sea buckthorn is a plant of cold deserts where the temperature runs in extremes, and therefore, this hardy and drought-resistant shrub tolerates extreme temperatures from minus 43 degrees Celsius to plus 40 degrees Celsius. They are also a favourite of birds and animals of this region. The Ladakhi Bactrian Double Hump Camel survives on its leaves and fruits, which helps them in fighting diseases and maintaining their fur coats.
Below, I’ll discuss a few areas where work is currently in progress for sea buckthorn and share my suggested areas where this plant can be utilised.
Work currently being done:
According to “India Juice Market Outlook 2021”, “the juice market in India is a fast-growing market and its Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is 15-18%.”
It can be divided into three sectors: The first one is fruit drinks (max. 30% fruit content), which hold around 50-60% of the market share; the second is fruit juice (almost 100% fruit content), which has around 30 to 35% of the market share; and the third is nectar-based drinks (30-90% fruit content), which hold around 5 -10% of the market share.
Today, the price of the fresh sea buckthorn berry is around Rs.65- 70 /- per kg, and the seeds fetch around the same price. The leaves are used for making herbal tea, medicines, etc. and are sold at a good price. While its pulp is costlier, the leaves that are used for making tea are priced at around Rs. 60/- per kg.
Again, China has taken the lead in this industry as they were the first to make juices from it. Their juice is popular in European countries, especially in East Europe, the UK, and Scandinavian nations.
The current Indian government has made a proposition wherein all drinks manufactured in India must constitute at least 2% of fruit content in their drinks so that it has some nutritive character added to them as well as to benefit the farmers working towards the production of fruits in India. Currently, mangoes have the biggest share in the fruit juice industry with about 60% share, while all other fruits altogether have the remaining percentage. Tetra packs are the most favoured ones for juice packing, and they cover almost 90% of the market.
In India, sea buckthorn has been used in the traditional ‘Amchi system’ of medicine for centuries in Ladakh. The medicinal value of sea buckthorn was recorded as early as the 8th century in the Tibetan medicinal text, ‘rGyud Bzi’. Modern research has supported the medicinal properties of sea buckthorn. Interestingly, it is believed that the Mongol leader Genghis Khan used it to improve the memory, stamina, strength, fitness and disease-fighting abilities of his army. Its berries and leaves were fed to the horses to make them strong and disease-free.
It has been estimated that the capacity of the packaged juice market in our country could reach a staggering 1500 crores in the near future. And considering how the Sea buckthorn’s berries give juice, fruit pulp and oil, it has a lot of potential. Its oil and fruit pulp are used in cosmetics mainly as anti-oxidants, while its juice, being very sour, is often blended with some sweeter juices and is marketed at a high price for the qualities mentioned above. Technically, if malolactic fermentation (A type of fermentation done to reduce the tart-tasting malic acid into softer lactic acid, which is commonly used in producing good wine with a softer texture) of its berries is done, then the taste of the juice improves.
Its fruit pulp and juice are also used to make jams, face lotions, and even in the blending of wines, liquors, etc. While its dried berry peels & leaves help make good rejuvenating tea.
The “Defence Institute for High Altitude Research (DIHAR)” under the Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) is currently doing great work utilising sea buckthorn for all the purposes mentioned above. They have successfully established a factory in Leh to manufacture a multivitamin herbal beverage made from its juice for the Indian Army and ITBP personnel stationed at high altitudes.
Work that can be done:
The Sea buckthorn wines and gins are very popular in Europe and China. They have a very special aroma and taste. That is why new fermentation and blending technologies must be used to improve its fermentation processes and aroma as well. Somehow, India has not yet stepped into this area of sea buckthorn wine and gin manufacturing.
India has yet to produce these products, which leaves ample scope for making a good business out of them and improving the local economy, especially in Leh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Lahul Spiti of Himachal Pradesh.
Leh is a great tourist destination. And once tourism revives after the corona pandemic we must focus on producing alcoholic beverages made from sea buckthorn, as they would be a great hit among tourists. It is to be seen when the first brewery is established in Leh and especially in Nubra Valley.
Another aspect that can be looked into, especially by DIHAR, is the export market. DIHAR has developed a methodology for growing high-yielding sea buckthorn. It can use this variety to increase its production and expand its market to other countries. This will put Ladakh on the world map and attract further investments as well as more tourists from other countries.
With the new administrative setup, there is a lot of hope and expectations and these hopes should not be belied.
I’ll be writing more about sea buckthorn and its potential in the context of Ladakh in my follow-up articles.
