URUMQI - The government of Altay Prefecture in Nnorthwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is planning to expand the planting of sea buckthorn by five folds over the next five years in a bid to build the region into a world center of the foliage.

The Altay government will help local farmers enlarge sea buckthorn planting area from the current 120,000 mu (8,000 hectares) to 400,000 mu within three years and 600,000 mu by the end of 2015, sources with the prefecture's forestry bureau said.

Sea buckthorn, also known as sandthorn or seaberry, is thriving in China's northwest and southwest regions. Sea buckthorn fruit can be used to make pies, jams, lotions, liquors or beverages. It is also thought to have medical values for the nutrient and phytochemical constituents.

China's output of sea buckthorn fruits accounts for 90 percent of the world total.

Altay's sea buckthorn fruits output is expected to reach 150,000 tonnes by the year 2015, according to the local forestry bureau.