Insect destroys Tunisia’s critical prickly pear industry

A tiny insect is ravaging Tunisia's prickly pears, a critical revenue source for the North African country's agriculture sector.

"Our biggest fear, causing me insomnia, is the cochineal insect threatening our harvest," says Bassem Sahnoun, a struggling farmer told Reuters.

 Discovered in 2021, the prickly pear cochineal has devastated vast plantations, raising concerns about its economic impact, farmers and agricultural experts report.