Some winegrowers in the south of France are increasingly cultivating cacti, as yields in vineyards are declining significantly due to increasingly long periods of drought. "Instead of planting vines, which need a lot of water in the first few years, I plant cactus trees," Boris Igonet, organic winegrower and president of the Cerbère Cactus association (Roussillon) told French media.
With the cultivation of succulents, the winegrowers are looking for an alternative to otherwise common Mediterranean crops such as citrus fruits, olives or pomegranates, which are used, among other things, to compensate for possible yield losses from viticulture. Due to the increasingly long periods of drought, cacti and aloe vera plants are now being targeted by resourceful winegrowers. Prickly pears could be sold as fruit, aloe vera e.g., to the cosmetics industry. sw
