Beles, the local name for cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica), is the most popular fresh fruit in Eritrea during the rainy season. It is mainly present in the highlands, providing refreshment and nourishment to rural as well as urban dwellers. The cladodes are also commonly used as feed for domestic animals and are browsed by wild animals. Beles fruits are gathered extensively in season for domestic consumption as well to supply demand in local markets.
Extensive areas of wild beles are found in the Eastern Escarpment and Segheneiti and surrounding areas, these provide the bulk of the fruit offered on sale in local markets and Asmara, the main commercial centre of the country.
Beles is already present in land reserves and it is expanding onto cleared lands with agricultural value. It is also used as a live fence and for protection against erosion in areas from which it was traditionally absent.
Family gardens include beles plants, and are scattered throughout the highlands surrounding homes and separating agricultural plots. In Senafe there are sites showing early signs of primitive cultivation. The incorporation of a few management practices could improve productivity and ensure sustainability of these orchards.
In general, the quality of the fruit obtained in Eritrea is poor, due to inadequate harvest tools and techniques as well as poor post-harvest management. Additionally the varieties commonly found in the market are susceptible to poor handling. Cultivation of selected local varieties and introduction of foreign cultivars could help to improve fruit quality and shelf life, extend harvest season, with the potential to reach new national and possibly also export markets.
The propagation and cultivation of local spineless varieties might also augment the availability of beles pads for animal feed and eliminate difficulties associated with the use of spiny feedstuff collected from wild stocks. Until now, beles has been used but neither managed nor fully cultivated in Eritrea. The possibility to develop Beles as formal fruit crop is enhanced by the climatic conditions present in the highlands which are suitable for the growth of this plant.
This bulletin contains basic information on beles production adjusted to the conditions of Eritrea, and looks at both fruit and forage or vegetable production. It also considers practices to optimize forage and fruit production in household orchards.
