Tunisia is one of the world's leading sources of prickly pear, second only to Mexico. The country accounts for a third of the world's prickly pear production and is the world's leading producer of organic prickly pears despite a tough enemy.
Until recently, Tunisia faced competition from Morocco, where the prickly pear area was larger. Since then, scale insects -dactylopius opuntiae- ravaging North Africa have decimated production in Morocco, virtually wiping it out. In Tunisia, on the other hand, although the insect destroyed vast areas, growers were more resilient to the pest.
Amine Ouali, owner of The Family Farm, comments: "The south of the country is heavily affected by the insect, while the north is spared. Fortunately, we were able to act in time and contain the problem by paying close attention to contamination and controlling the plantation. The government is putting a great deal of effort into monitoring and containing the spread of the insect. As for the growers, they apply a strict quarantine system. At The Family Farm, for example, we harvest the fruit ourselves without recourse to seasonal workers. I can say that with appropriate measures, there is no risk."
"In addition to preserving surface areas, yields are also flashing green, whether in terms of tonnage, size, quality, or consistency in juice and brix. Yields reach 10 tonnes per hectare in non-irrigated fields, and 15-20, even 25 tonnes, in irrigated fields," Ouali continues.
According to the grower, prickly pear production in Tunisia is carried out in two different cycles: "There's off-season production, from September to January, intended mainly for direct consumption of fresh fruit and juice production, using thornless varieties; and the summer season in open fields intended largely for the cosmetics industry. Both production methods serve export markets. The surface area devoted to the summer season is enormous, since all growers use prickly pear plants to demarcate their land and for other purposes. The area devoted to out-of-season production increases from season to season, reaching hundreds of hectares currently."
The sector is attractive to producers and exporters, to the point of "hype" according to Ouali. The obvious explanation is the almost non-existent competition. Ouali adds, "Exporting fruit in large volumes started not long ago, and it's an industry that's doing very well. There's no competition and the crops sell easily, very quickly, and for good prices."
"The main export markets are European countries, especially Italy, France and Spain. The Gulf countries market also pulls in large volumes, although it's slower than usual this season," Ouali concludes.
For more information:
Amine Ouali
The Family Farm
Tel: +21628656881
Email: amine.ouali@thefamily-farm.com
www.thefamily-farm.com