Pine production drops in West Bank due to cochineal beetle in Palestine

The prickly fig (Indian fig), grown in the occupied West Bank, has been drastically reduced in the production and harvest of the fruit due to the cochineal beetle that has recently haunted it. Palestinian farmers who make a living with this job are in a difficult situation in the West Bank town of Nalin, which is famous for its prickly pear cultivation. The cochineal beetle, which has been haunting the Indian fig, which is also known by names such as chervil, cactus fruit, and prickly fig, and causing disease in the fruits, is causing the fruit to be gradually depleted. Farmers who have lost 85% of their crops in their fields are not successful even if they try every way to get rid of the insect that causes disease in the fruits. Insects infesting the fruit cause a drastic decrease in production, while Palestinian farmers harvesting the crops that remain intact in their fields remove the spines of the cactus fruit and sell it. A box retails for 30 shekels (about $9). Worried about ...