As China has ramped up efforts to develop new products made from sea buckthorn berries in recent years, the industry has emerged as a key growth driver in local economies and offers new solutions for rural revitalization, said an industrial report.

The report, released by a commission of the China National Sand Control and Desert Industry Society, investigated the country's sea buckthorn resources and analyzed the industry's prospects in improving the environment and facilitating poverty alleviation.

According to the report, China has nearly 19 million mu (around 1.27 million hectares) of sea buckthorn forests. Domestic companies can process up to 100,000 metric tons of sea buckthorn berries every year, with annual industrial output totaling 26 billion yuan (about $3.9 billion).

China started planting sea buckthorn in 1985 as a way of improving the ecology of the country's Loess Plateau. Since then, it has rolled out massive sea buckthorn planting efforts and the industry has grown rapidly, especially over the past two decades. 

Sales of sea buckthorn extract by domestic companies surged from 560 million yuan in 2016 to 2.1 billion yuan in 2019, with seed and berry oil products making the biggest gains in popularity around the world. A total of 3,189 domestic companies are now engaged in related business, 87% of which are located in China's main growing areas in northern, northwestern and northeastern regions.

The industry has also been working to expand sales channels to help farmers boost their incomes. Statistics from the report show that farmers growing sea buckthorn berries can now earn 300 to 600 yuan per mu. Sea buckthorn forests also provide firewood for farmers and reduce coal consumption in rural regions. The plant's leaves are rich in organic acids and are better feed for livestock than ordinary fodder, wrote the report.

In 2011, China's top juice producer Huiyuan Juice launched a project in Burqin county, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to build both an ecological demonstration zone and a sea buckthorn berry processing plant. 

At present, the project produces around 4,000 metric tons of sea buckthorn berries every year, with annual output reaching 100 million yuan. In addition to providing hundreds of jobs for local farmers, the sea buckthorn forests have improved soil quality, reduced damage from winds and prevented sand movement, and are now home to dozens of wild animal species.

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