Prickly Pear Cochineal <i>Dactylopius opuntiae</i>, in Morocco: Vigilance and Perspectives

The appearance in the Province of Sidi Bennour of a pest attacking the prickly pear was announced on 29-07-2015 by the National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA). In case of heavy infestation and in the absence of control measures, the insect can cause plant dieback. Since then, it has caused the death of the prickly pear in all Moroccan regions, resulting in heavy damage for small farmers. This plant is known for its use in animal, industrial, cosmetic, therapeutic and environmental food and whose fruit is appreciated internationally. The development of resistant varieties and new control methods with the establishment of a monitoring system is necessary given the importance of this sector. An inventory of the report, the probable causes and the countermeasures of Morocco and at the level of other regions of the world in the face of this problem, was carried out. The spread of the pest in Morocco has continued to grow since its discovery in 2014. A control and awareness program was launched by ONSSA in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Ministry of Agriculture has devoted 80 million Dirhams to the operation to fight against the cochineal with the establishment of a vigilance and surveillance committee to manage the plan for uprooting and burying diseased cacti. In addition, a selection program for resistant varieties and treatment products was launched and carried out by the services of the National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA) in partnership with the various regional administrations of the Ministry of Agriculture. The Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture launched, on August 17, 2021 in social networks, a call for vigilance after the appearance of the insect in northern Algeria with the development of a three-year national strategy of control and to strictly apply agricultural quarantine to limit the spread of the insect.