LEH: In a major boost to Ladakh’s Sea Buckthorn sector, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Thursday announced that the minimum procurement price of Sea Buckthorn will be increased from ₹150 per kg last year to ₹300 per kg this year, effectively doubling the price to raise farmers’ incomes and strengthen the region’s value chain.
Inaugurating the first two-day International Sea Buckthorn Conclave 2026 in Leh, the Lieutenant Governor said the enhanced procurement price was aimed at increasing the earnings of farmers and local communities associated with the production of the “wonder berry of Ladakh”. On the occasion, he also released a postal cover featuring Ladakh’s Sea Buckthorn, highlighting the distinctive natural resource and its growing identity.
The conclave has brought together 20 major buyers and around 120 MSME-registered entrepreneurs and Self-Help Groups involved in the Sea Buckthorn ecosystem, besides technical experts, scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs from Mongolia, Vietnam and Arunachal Pradesh. The platform is aimed at facilitating knowledge exchange and sharing experiences on developing Sea Buckthorn as an economic resource.
Harvesting remains one of the biggest challenges for the sector, with wild Sea Buckthorn growing in dense, thorny bushes that make extraction difficult, labour-intensive and time-consuming. According to the administration, nearly 85 per cent of the annual crop is currently wasted, leaving the commercial utilisation rate at around 15 per cent. The Lieutenant Governor has directed that crop recovery be increased to at least 50 per cent this year, with a target of achieving 100 per cent utilisation by next year through modern harvesting techniques.
Saxena said Ladakh would gradually move towards curated cultivation of Sea Buckthorn to maximise production and improve returns to growers. He said a comprehensive action plan was being prepared to establish a complete value chain within Ladakh, covering cultivation, harvesting, processing, packaging and marketing, with the objective of ensuring a larger share of the economic value reaches local farmers, entrepreneurs and communities.
The Lieutenant Governor also underlined the importance of value addition, improved packaging and stronger market linkages to meet the growing demand for Sea Buckthorn across the country. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for highlighting the berry as a “Sanjeevani” during his Mann Ki Baat programme and said the GI registration of Ladakh Sea Buckthorn had been an important milestone in establishing its identity, authenticity and brand value in national and international markets.
He further noted that Sea Buckthorn’s inclusion under the One District One Product initiative for Leh district had provided additional impetus to the sector. On the research front, the Union Ministry of Agriculture, following a request from the Lieutenant Governor, has 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 the conventional conference-hall format, the conclave is being hosted amid the natural surroundings of the Choglamsar forest, where Sea Buckthorn grows extensively. The setting is providing delegates with an on-ground opportunity to observe the plant in its native habitat and understand its natural growth patterns.
