Magic plant to reduce environmental threat

Pakistan's agrarian economy is struggling to feed the ever-increasing population. We may have to look towards the value-addition wild food products, which can fulfill the demands of the local food sector. Seabuckthorn presents an opportunity to supplement future nutritional needs By . !smail "han

Seabuckthorn - a thorny bush, abundantly found in Balochistan, NWFP and the Northern Areas, traditionally being used for mere fencing and fuel, is estimated to have enough vitamin C in its berries of the orld to meet the dietary re!uirements of the entire human "o"ulation# Nutritional value aside, Seabuckthorn has been re"orted to contain more than $%& com"ounds in the seeds, "ul", fruit and 'uice# (hese com"ounds carry high medicinal and commercial value# Seabuckthorn "roducts already constitute billions of dollars orth industry in China, )ussia, "arts of *uro"e and North America# +n neighbouring China, currently around ,&& factories are "roducing an e!ual variety of medicinal, cosmetic and food "roducts# -ike else here, Pakistan.s mountainous areas have rich natural resources and biological diversity, and "oor "eo"le have a tremendous sco"e to utilise the free-gro ing Seabuckthorn for "overty reduction, as ell as ecological conservation# +n $%%/ a Chinese Seabuckthorn e0"ert, Professor -u )ongin, after a ra"id assessment of Seabuckthorn gro ing areas in 1ilgit, Chitral, Skardu and S at, he estimated current stock of Seabuckthorn in Pakistan at around 2,&&& hectors, "romising a harvest of $,,&&-,,3&& tons annually# Professor -u mentioned that Pakistan has very suitable habitats and climatic mi0 even for cultivation of Seabuckthorn# Follo ing his assessment, 4inistry of Food and Agriculture in collaboration ith +C+456 initiated a demonstration "ro'ect under the National Arid -and 6evelo"ment and )esearch +nstitute# (he "ro'ect achieved decent success in introducing the "lant and its commercial value to local farmers, enticing them to manage and market this im"ortant natural resource# A solvent e0traction "lant as also established to facilitate the farmers in Skardu, here Pakistan Council of Scientific and +ndustrial )esearch 7PCS+)8 has a huge office# 9o ever, due to the reason best kno n to the 4inistry, the "ro'ect as ound u" ithout idely sharing the e0"erience at the national level and ithout any concrete follo u" measures to sustain the efforts by enabling the farmers and the "rivate sector# At a time hen Pakistan.s agrarian economy is struggling to feed the ever-increasing mouths, e may have to look to ards the value-addition ild food "roducts in the local food sector# Seabuckthorn "resents an o""ortunity to su""lement future nutritional needs# 5n the other hand, the cultivation "lant and "rotection of the e0isting stock "rovides an e0cellent o""ortunity for sustainable develo"ment to "recariously "oor farmers in the Northern Areas,

NWFP and Balochistan# (he systemic develo"ment of Seabuckthorn culture living conditions of the "oorest of the "oor in more than one ay# Nutritional :alue

ill im"rove the

Food !uality is already a ma'or issue in both urban and rural areas of the country; traditional food ith originality of content stands limited to the rich and fe # Substandard and adulterated food items even in most remote villages are taking its toll in the sha"e of heart disease, cancer and other terrible sicknesses, "articularly in the agro-based rural communities# Seabuckthorn "rovides a ho"e for a healthy diet, ith more than $%& com"ounds in the seeds, "ul", fruit and 'uice# +t is rich in omega-2 fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin *, trace minerals, and other "hotochemical combination of minerals make the Seabuckthorn an ideal dietary constituent for health, and "rovides for e0cellent "roducts like 'uice, 'ellies, marmalades, candies and even li!ueurs# Although most of us in this country focuses on ho much is available to eat than hat do e eat# +t can be said that there might be a time, hen e.ll be "aying some attention to Seabuckthorn and similar natural "roducts for the sake of !uality# +n many develo"ed countries, the .natural food "roducts. industry, hich includes fresh and organic foods and beverages, dietary su""lements and .all natural. "ersonal health care "roducts are gro ing at a steady rate of over $3< annually# 9al a-"uri, Nehari and 9aleem may remain the "leasure food for our "eo"le in the foreseeable future, hich further necessitate discovery of food content having some medicinal value# A classical (ibetan medical book .Sibu =idian. ith four volumes and $3> cha"ters, has thirty cha"ters deal ith Seabuckthorn.s medicinal usage# .Sibu =idian. as translated into 4ongolian in the $>th century, and as later on translated into many *uro"ean languages, till it as "ublished in )ussia in St# Petersburg in $%&2# +n $%3,, Chinese again got interest in the "lant, and the Sichuan 4edical College led the research ork in (ibet and other "rovinces# (he Preliminary )esearch Finding on Seabuckthorn berries as "ublished in $%3/# 9o ever, it as only in $%?? that Seabuckthorn received a formal a""roval to market Seabuckthorn as medicine# From $%>3 to date, Chinese scientific research has "rogressed lea"s and bounds in e0citing discovery of its multi"ur"ose usage# Seabuckthorn has a shiny deciduous leaf and colorful berries# (he average height of the "lant is about ,-@m, although some cultivated s"ecies in China have re"ortedly reached over $3m# (he "lants have both male and female s"ecies; female "lants carry berries, hich are usually orange, yello or reddish in colour and have a sourish taste# Selection of im"roved fruit varieties have only been carried out for the "ast /& or so years# Cultivated varieties are found in the former A#S#S#)#, 4ongolia, 1ermany, Finland, )ussia, China, Scandinavia, Canada, and some other countries# +n China, fruit is

harvested from over one million hectares 7,#3 million acres8 of ild Seabuckthorn and almost 2&&,&&& hectares 7?3&,&&& acres8 of cultivated "lants# +n Canada, over $>, hectares of Seabuckthorn are being "lanted# 4edicinal :alue Scientists claim that Seabuckthorn contains biologically active substances ith "harmacological effects on the cardiovascular and immune systems, and anti-senility, anti-inflammation and anti-radiation effects, etc# (he researcher says that Seabuckthorn "roducts are e0tremely effective to im"rove immunity, normaliBe metabolism of cholesterol, remove blood stasis, treat gastric ulcer, lever, and cardiovascular and intestinal diseases# Although, research on medical use of Seabuckthorn 79i""o"hae8 is still going on, but in countries like China, Canada and various *uro"ean states, Seabuckthorn is already a "o"ular mode of medication for a range of diseases# Bioactive oil is being e0tracted from leaves to make ointment for treating a ide variety of skin "roblems such as burns, bedsores, ecBema, and radiation# +n )ussia, for instance, many Chernobyl nuclear disaster victims ere re"ortedly treated ith Seabuckthorn in $%>/# Seabuckthorn berries are high in essential fatty acids, hich are im"ortant for the maintenance of a healthy skin# (he oil absorbs ultraviolet light, and since the oil is also kno n to be useful for "romoting skin health, it is "articularly suitable for sun-care cosmetics# (he "lant is an e0cellent cure for various kinds of cancers and an effective medicine for, hat has become Pakistan.s national sickness, blood "ressureC *cological value Soil and atershed run off are t o of the fourteen core areas recommended for im"roved environmental management by the Pakistan.s National Conservation Strategy# Seabuckthorn, because of its e0tensive root system is an ideal "lant in reclaiming and conserving soil, es"ecially on fragile mountainous slo"es# +t has good resistance to drought and tolerates soil salinity, e0treme tem"eratures, and ad'usts ell in demanding conditions# +n the Northern Areas and NWFP, it is usually found along the riverbanks and on the land de"osited by glaciers and streams, there the "lant not only binds the soil, but also "rovides for breaking the intensity of ind, hich flies a ay the fertile soil# (he thorny shrub "rovides refuge to ildlife and acts as a barrier to "edestrian traffic, "reventing sensitive vegetation from being tram"led# Seabuckthorn carries e0cellent nitrogen-fi0ing ca"abilities, "reventing the loss of soil and biodiversity, and is also considered usefully resistant to "ests, thus in many cases it limits the use of "esticides hich are damaging to the environment#

(raditionally it has been used either for fencing, "rotecting orchards and fields against stray animals, or it has been used as a fuel ood in the northern Pakistan# +n 1ilgit and Baltistan, for instance, "eo"le still use dry Seabuckthorn "lants to ignite traditional heaters or fuel to cook food during the inter# +n 1ilgit and 9unBa, the "lant is kno n as Bru and in Baltistan it is called #hok, hich comes to mean thorn# (he "lants ere usually considered a freely available ood source instead of cutting fruit trees or forest for fuel "ur"oses# 5n the other hand, Seabuckthorn is a fast gro ing s"ecies, hich means "runing for fuel does not mean the end of the "lant as its roots regenerate !uickly and continue to sto" soil erosion# (hus, Seabuckthorn is an e0cellent landsca"e management tool# 9aving said this, given the huge commercial sco"e, necessary "ublic a areness about the need for sustainable use and harvest of Seabuckthorn ould be e!ually im"ortant, as in Pakistan, the "lant is found in fragments, mostly in isolated "atches of land# (he threat is that once its real value is kno n at the local and national level, it may face over-harvesting and uncontrolled e0"loitation, hich could in turn com"letely destroy the resource# 5n the other hand, it has been observed that in villages around Skardu, here commercial value has become kno n, farmers have started to "rotect the "lantations by erecting boundary alls and investing time and attention to take care of the once most useless "lant on their land# (he magic "lant does have the "otential of becoming the atom bomb of the "oorest to offset food, health and ecological adversity in Pakistan# But only if the "olicy, research and develo"ment circles move in time to secure the "otential of this emerging means of livelihood, before it is "rematurely snatched from "oor farmers by the W(5 regime#

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