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Saudi Ginseng Returns after 20 Years in the Northern Borders

The "abab" plant, also known as "Saudi ginseng" or "ashwagandha", has returned after a 20-year absence in the deserts of the Northern Borders Region. (SPA)
The "abab" plant, also known as "Saudi ginseng" or "ashwagandha", has returned after a 20-year absence in the deserts of the Northern Borders Region. (SPA)
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Saudi Ginseng Returns after 20 Years in the Northern Borders

The "abab" plant, also known as "Saudi ginseng" or "ashwagandha", has returned after a 20-year absence in the deserts of the Northern Borders Region. (SPA)
The "abab" plant, also known as "Saudi ginseng" or "ashwagandha", has returned after a 20-year absence in the deserts of the Northern Borders Region. (SPA)

The "abab" plant, also known as "Saudi ginseng" or "ashwagandha", has returned after a 20-year absence in the deserts of the Northern Borders Region, the Saudi Press Agency said on Sunday.
This evergreen shrub with yellow flowers has reemerged, alongside other wild plants.
In an interview with SPA, Director of the Amana Environmental Association in the region Nasser Rashid Al-Majlad, said that the area's rich green wealth presents economic opportunities. By utilizing natural plant resources, the region can enhance biodiversity, combat desertification, expand green spaces, promote tourism, and foster human development.
Al-Majlad said that these efforts align with the principles of the green economy, which aims to strike a balance between economic and environmental needs for the benefit of both humanity and the planet.
Khonaysser Al-Anazi, a plant enthusiast, said the abab plants on the outskirts of Arar city reappeared due to increased rainfall and the expansion of green areas. He highlighted the potential for cultivation and utilization of these plants for various purposes.

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India’s Monsoon Rains a Fifth Below Normal So Far

Indian commuters use umbrellas during a hot afternoon in Kolkata, India, 14 June 2024. (EPA)
Indian commuters use umbrellas during a hot afternoon in Kolkata, India, 14 June 2024. (EPA)
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India’s Monsoon Rains a Fifth Below Normal So Far

Indian commuters use umbrellas during a hot afternoon in Kolkata, India, 14 June 2024. (EPA)
Indian commuters use umbrellas during a hot afternoon in Kolkata, India, 14 June 2024. (EPA)

India's monsoon has delivered a fifth less rain than normal so far this season, the weather department said on Monday, in a worrying sign for the vital agricultural sector.

Summer rains, critical to economic growth in Asia's third-largest economy, usually begin in the south around June 1 before spreading nationwide by July 8, allowing farmers to plant crops such as rice, cotton, soybeans, and sugarcane.

India has received 20% less rainfall than normal since June 1, according to data compiled by the state-run India Meteorological Department (IMD), with almost all regions except for a few southern states seeing shortfalls and some northwestern states experiencing heat waves.

The rain shortfall in soybean, cotton, sugarcane, and pulses-growing central India has risen to 29%, while the paddy-growing southern region received 17% more rainfall than normal due to the early onset of the monsoon, according to the data.

The northeast has received 20% less rainfall than normal so far, and the northwest some 68% less.

The lifeblood of the nearly $3.5-trillion economy, the monsoon brings nearly 70% of the rain India needs to water farms and refill reservoirs and aquifers.

In the absence of irrigation, nearly half the farmland in the world's second-biggest producer of rice, wheat and sugar depends on the annual rains that usually run until September.

"The monsoon's progress is stalled. It has weakened. But when it revives and becomes active, it can erase the rain deficit in a short burst," an IMD official told Reuters.

The official sought anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Heat wave conditions are likely to prevail in northern states for a few more days, but temperatures could start coming down from the weekend, the official added.

The maximum temperature in India's northern states is ranging between 42 and 47.6 degrees Celsius (107.6 to 117.7 degrees Fahrenheit), about 4-9 C above normal, the IMD data showed.