Beetles threaten survival of local fig trees

A “cancerous” beetle which is attacking fig trees may have eradicated up to three quarters of local figs, according to farmers and agriculture department officials. Members of the Farmers’ Association have warned that unless the pest is dealt with soon, figs may disappear from the local market altogether. The fig tree borer, better known under the Maltese umbrella term susa, eats its way into the tree’s bark, feasting on the tree’s nutrient-rich sap to the point of starving the plant. Fourth generation farmer Tommy Portelli, 68, walked around his Baħrija farm in disbelief as his once fig healthy trees turn to empty husks. Picking one of the bitter “ghost fruit” which hang from his infected trees, Mr Portelli said, “These aren’t figs, they’re rubbish.” Annual Maltese fig crops traditionally yield hundreds of thousands of kilos in early green figs (bajtar ta’ San Ġwann) and tens of thousands of kilos of dry purple figs (farkizzan) but fruit vendor John Zammit is expecting a bad harvest. “The price of figs already went up last summer. I’m not even sure what price they’ll fetch this summer.” The Plant Health Directorate monitors local plants and pests. It recently compiled a small...