Insect Hurts Tunisia's Prickly Pear Industry
2024-07-29
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1A small insect is hurting Tunisia's prickly pears, an important source of money for the North African country's economy.
2Bassem Sahnoun, a farmer struggling to deal with the insect problem, used the term "insomnia," meaning an inability to sleep, to describe the issue.
3"Our biggest fear, which has caused me insomnia, is the fear of the cochineal insect that threatens our harvest," he said.
4The insect is known to some as the prickly pear cochineal.
5Farmers and experts say it has damaged large areas and caused concerns about its economic effects since it was first discovered in the country in 2021.
6The bug gets the sap from cactus pads, causing yellowing and eventual death of the plants.
7Agricultural expert Faouzi Zayani inspected dying prickly pear trees.
8He said, "The cochineal insect affects the prickly pear tree. As you can see, the trees are dying, and consequently, we are losing the essence of things, which is the cultivation of prickly pears."
9Zayani said the insect was first discovered in Mexico.
10"It was present there, and they treated it and had prevention methods," he added.
11"Then it spread to Morocco in 2015. This insect also came to Tunisia in October 2021 in the city of Mahdia."
12Zayani estimates that prickly pears represent about 12 percent of Tunisia's agricultural land, making it second only to olive trees in agricultural wealth.
13The pears cover approximately 600,000 hectares and are an important source of money for thousands of people, particularly women who harvest and sell the fruit.
14Sahnoun told Reuters, "This is our livelihood, it requires a lot of labor, and it's not just the farmer who benefits from it."
15The Tunisian government and international organizations are now taking steps to try to help deal with the insect's effects.
16The Food and Agriculture Organization started a $500,000 emergency project to introduce biological control methods such as ladybugs, which are hunters of the insect.
17The Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture is promoting sustainable control measures, including changes in agricultural methods, pruning, and cleaning in production areas.
18"We must have a sustainable solution for the cochineal insect. This situation should not continue in this way," said Naima Mahfoudhi, an official at the ministry of agriculture.
19At his farm, Sahnoun takes measures to clean and protect his healthy prickly pear trees.
20But it will be a difficult job if the crisis continues and keeps drying up prickly pear trees.
21"It starts at the bottom of the tree," he said.
22Selma Jridi, who owns prickly pear trees, says the problem is out of her control. She said, "God's will prevails, this is God's judgment... "
23I'm Ashley Thompson.
1A small insect is hurting Tunisia's prickly pears, an important source of money for the North African country's economy. 2Bassem Sahnoun, a farmer struggling to deal with the insect problem, used the term "insomnia," meaning an inability to sleep, to describe the issue. 3"Our biggest fear, which has caused me insomnia, is the fear of the cochineal insect that threatens our harvest," he said. 4The insect is known to some as the prickly pear cochineal. Farmers and experts say it has damaged large areas and caused concerns about its economic effects since it was first discovered in the country in 2021. 5The bug gets the sap from cactus pads, causing yellowing and eventual death of the plants. 6Agricultural expert Faouzi Zayani inspected dying prickly pear trees. He said, "The cochineal insect affects the prickly pear tree. As you can see, the trees are dying, and consequently, we are losing the essence of things, which is the cultivation of prickly pears." 7Zayani said the insect was first discovered in Mexico. "It was present there, and they treated it and had prevention methods," he added. "Then it spread to Morocco in 2015. This insect also came to Tunisia in October 2021 in the city of Mahdia." 8Zayani estimates that prickly pears represent about 12 percent of Tunisia's agricultural land, making it second only to olive trees in agricultural wealth. 9The pears cover approximately 600,000 hectares and are an important source of money for thousands of people, particularly women who harvest and sell the fruit. 10Sahnoun told Reuters, "This is our livelihood, it requires a lot of labor, and it's not just the farmer who benefits from it." 11The Tunisian government and international organizations are now taking steps to try to help deal with the insect's effects. 12The Food and Agriculture Organization started a $500,000 emergency project to introduce biological control methods such as ladybugs, which are hunters of the insect. 13The Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture is promoting sustainable control measures, including changes in agricultural methods, pruning, and cleaning in production areas. 14"We must have a sustainable solution for the cochineal insect. This situation should not continue in this way," said Naima Mahfoudhi, an official at the ministry of agriculture. 15At his farm, Sahnoun takes measures to clean and protect his healthy prickly pear trees. But it will be a difficult job if the crisis continues and keeps drying up prickly pear trees. 16"It starts at the bottom of the tree," he said. 17Selma Jridi, who owns prickly pear trees, says the problem is out of her control. She said, "God's will prevails, this is God's judgment... " 18I'm Ashley Thompson. 19Jihed Abidellaoui reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 20_______________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22sap - n. the fluid part of a plant 23essence - n. the individual, real, or ultimate nature of a thing 24cultivation- n. the act of preparing for the raising of crops; the act of helping plants grow 25benefit - v. to receive help or an advantage 26sustainable -- adj. Of or relating to a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not permanently damaged 27prune - v. to cut off or cut back parts of a plant 28prevail -- v. to be or continue in use; to gain ascendancy through strength