Serdarlı (Chatoz) village will no longer be well known for the best place of Cypriots’ favorite fruit, Prickly Pear (Papoutsosuko), which is mostly consumed in summer, as they are going extinct.
Prickly Pear cactus trees have been affected by a ‘cactus cochineal scale insect’ disease, which has been going on for 10 years, and has been the reason for reduced production.
Papoutsosuko, also known as Prickly Pear, which is Cypriots’ favourite fruit in summer, has lost its battle against the ‘cochineal’ disease that has been affecting the trees for 10 years.
The prickly pear cactus trees, which became a symbol of the Serdarlı (Chatoz) village are being killed by the disease, which has brought production to a halt.
The scale attacks the cactus leaf pads and stems and sucks all the moisture from the plant, causing them to yellow and eventually die.
The disease, which hasn’t been cured for 10 years, has brought an end to the fruit. The cactus trees have stopped producing fruits, and eventually, markets will no longer be able to sell prickly pears.
The ‘cactus cochineal’ disease had invaded the Maraş (Varosha) region at first, but could not be overcome as municipalities and the state had tried all methods.
Altan Çoban, a Serdarlı (Chatoz) resident who has been producing prickly pears for 55 years, said that all the pears in the region have dried up due to the ‘cochineal’ disease and that there are not even enough prickly pears to eat, let alone sell.
He noted that they miss the days they were producing the Papoutsosuko fruit, well known in Serdarlı (Chatoz). “There is no cure for this disease,” he said.
Source: (Kıbrıs)
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