"Here is the capital of the prickly pear," says Mohamed Rochdi Bannani proudly. Owner of 420 hectares of certified organic fair trade prickly pear trees in Zelfen (central west), he produces 2,000 liters per year of oil from fig seeds, 95% of which is exported. It has created wealth in an area where the prickly pear was a symbol of poverty," confided to AFP Mr. Bannani, 52, surveying his field at the end of the harvest period. "Attractiveness"Tunisia ranks fifth in the world in terms of area cultivated prickly pear for commercial purposes with 117,771 ha, behind Brazil, Mexico, Ethiopia and Morocco. "The prickly pear is undemanding, adapts to several types of soil and consumes little water.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 24, 2022 13:37 UTC