Beles, the local name for cactus pear (Opuntiaficus-indica), is the most popular fresh fruit in Eritrea during the rainyseason. It is mainly present in the highlands, providing refreshment andnourishment to rural as well as urban dwellers. The cladodes are also commonlyused as feed for domestic animals and are browsed by wild animals. Beles fruitsare gathered extensively in season for domestic consumption as well to supplydemand in local markets.
Extensive areas of wild beles are found in the EasternEscarpment and Segheneiti and surrounding areas, these provide the bulk of thefruit offered on sale in local markets and Asmara, the main commercial centre ofthe country.
Beles is already present in land reserves and it is expandingonto cleared lands with agricultural value. It is also used as a live fence andfor protection against erosion in areas from which it was traditionallyabsent.
Family gardens include beles plants, and are scatteredthroughout the highlands surrounding homes and separating agricultural plots. InSenafe there are sites showing early signs of primitive cultivation. Theincorporation of a few management practices could improve productivity andensure sustainability of these orchards.
In general, the quality of the fruit obtained in Eritrea ispoor, due to inadequate harvest tools and techniques as well as poorpost-harvest management. Additionally the varieties commonly found in the marketare susceptible to poor handling. Cultivation of selected local varieties andintroduction of foreign cultivars could help to improve fruit quality and shelflife, extend harvest season, with the potential to reach new national andpossibly also export markets.
The propagation and cultivation of local spineless varietiesmight also augment the availability of beles pads for animal feed and eliminatedifficulties associated with the use of spiny feedstuff collected from wildstocks. Until now, beles has been used but neither managed nor fully cultivatedin Eritrea. The possibility to develop Beles as formal fruit crop is enhanced bythe climatic conditions present in the highlands which are suitable for thegrowth of this plant.
This bulletin contains basic information on beles productionadjusted to the conditions of Eritrea, and looks at both fruit and forage orvegetable production. It also considers practices to optimize forage and fruitproduction in household orchards.
