CSIR will also develop harvesting machinery to be used by local farmers and self-help groups
Lt Governor Ladakh RK Mathur, The Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh, met Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh and thanked the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) under the aegis of Union Ministry of Science & Technology for promoting ’Leh Berry’ which is an exclusive food product of the cold desert and also a means of wide-ranging entrepreneurship as well as self-livelihood.
Dr Singh said that the value addition of Leh Berry this agriculture product has the potential to revolutionise the economic scenario of the newly created Union Territory. He said that reference to its medicinal properties is also being found in the Tibetan literature of the 8th century AD.
The Minister informed the LG that CSIR, in collaboration of UT Govt of Ladakh, will start commercial cultivation of sea buckthorn berry from the coming spring season in Ladakh. He said, CSIR will also develop harvesting machinery to be used by local farmers and self-help groups, as currently only 10 per cent of berry is being extracted from the wild sea buckthorn plant.
Dr Singh said that local entrepreneurs will be provided gainful employment through farming, processing and marketing of about 100 odd products from sea buckthorn plant like jams, juices, herbal tea, vitamin C supplements, healthy drinks, cream, oils, and soaps in a completely organic manner.
He said this immunity-boosting natural berry is getting increasingly popularised not only in India but also in great demand in foreign countries for its medicinal value. The minister informed that the ancient local Ladakhi amchi medicine system also places a very high premium on the sea buckthorn berry and its curative properties.
Dr Singh told Mathur that a high-level team of senior scientists from CSIR will soon visit Ladakh to evaluate the Zinc Fortification project for Pashmina Goats, Sheep and Yak as Ladakh is mainly an animal-based economy. He said CSIR is contemplating starting a geo-thermal Energy Project for warming and cooling systems in a Zero-net energy programme by linking it with solar power.
