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'Beles' grown for fruit,forage and vegetable production“The cactus pear can serve as a life saving crop to both humans and animals living in marginal regions by providing a highly digestible source of energy, water, minerals and protein,” said Prof Swart. “In an age when global warming and its negative impact on earth’s climate has become an everyday subject of discussion, the exploitation of salt and drought tolerant crops will undoubtedly have many socio-economic benefits to communities inhabiting semi-arid regions,” said Prof Swart. “Plantations of cactus pear grown for fruit, forage and vegetable production, as well as for natural red dye produced from the cactus scale insect known as cochineal have, over the last two decades, been established in many countries in South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The crop and its products have not only become important in international markets, but also in local markets across the globe,” said Prof Swart. Read more about cactus 'beles" Click HERE to go to the source of this article.OR HERE to go to the source of this article. Click HERE to go to the source of this article. |