Agriculture Minister Abdul Rahman Al-Fadli speaks at the seminar held with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization on controlling red palm weevil, in Riyadh.

The Ministry of Agriculture and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in Saudi Arabia recently held a seminar at the Riyadh Marriott Hotel on controlling red palm weevil.

“We realize the danger posed by weevils to the Kingdom’s 20 million date and palm trees which yield over a million tons a year,” Agriculture Minister Abdul Rahman Al-Fadli said during the seminar.

Abubakr Mohamed, the new FAO program coordinator in Saudi Arabia, also attended the seminar.

Khalid Al-Fuhaid, ministry spokesman, added that about one-third of the 20 million date and palm trees are afflicted with the red palm weevil.

Weevil is a type of beetle, usually small and less than six millimeters, which is herbivorous. They are often found in warm areas but also survive in places with cold weather.

Representatives from both the public and private sectors, in the Kingdom and abroad, attended the seminar.

Al-Fadli, an engineer, said that the ministry is exerting great efforts to contain the pest by using modern means and technology, and cooperating with all stakeholders inside and outside the Kingdom.

He stressed the importance of taking quick, decisive actions and then following up on the matter.

A date and palm center has been established in Al-Ahsa to deal with the red palm weevil as well as other items related to farming and date production.

One of the important duties of the center is to concentrate on remedies to control the red palm weevil which started in the eastern region in 1987, then migrated to Tabuk and Riyadh.

Countries which participated in the seminar included Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Morocco, Tunisia, Bahrain, Qatar, India, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey, United States, Costa Rica and Italy.

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