420 palm trees infested with devastating pest uprooted

AMMAN — Authorities uprooted 420 palm trees in Azraq District, east of the country, during this month after discovering the red palm weevil, a devastating pest of palm trees, a government official said on Tuesday.

The uprooted trees were severely infested, Agriculture Ministry Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin said, adding that they were aged between 5 and 25 years.

“A campaign carried out by the ministry and the National Centre for Agricultural Research and Extension [NCARE] is ongoing to eliminate the pest, which was discovered in Azraq. It is expected that another 700 infested trees will be uprooted,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

The red palm weevil is a dangerous pest that kills the tree or sapling it infests, he underscored, adding that it has attacked three farms, which are now categorised as hot spots.

“In addition to fighting the pest in Azraq, the teams are also calling on people to notify the ministry of suspected infested palm trees, whether they are planted at their houses or on the streets,” Haddadin noted.

The ministry is also setting up a centre for combating the pest in Azraq, which is rich with palm tree plantations. The centre will be monitoring palm trees at different growth phases.

“A total of 3,000 dunums are planted with palm trees in Azraq, which is home to approximately 50,000 palm trees,” Haddadin noted.

The campaign to eliminate the red palm weevil will continue for another 40 days, during which the ministry’s teams and NCARE will be inspecting all palm trees in Azraq to treat slightly infected ones and uproot those severely infested.

In addition, the ministry will distribute insect traps and pheromone lures for free.

The insect was first spotted in the country in May 1999, in a palm farm in the Jordan Valley. 

Following the discovery of the pest in Jordan, the ministry banned imports of palm saplings from countries where the red weevil has been discovered.

Palm tree importers must provide the ministry with a certificate guaranteeing that their goods are not diseased before they are authorised to import palm seedlings.

The red palm weevil is native to Southeast Asia, but has been recorded in several countries around the world, according to the University of California’s Centre for Invasive Species Research.

“The international trade in live palms is the most likely conduit that has allowed this pest, probably moved as eggs, larvae, or pupae hidden inside palms, to move vast distances,” the centre’s website said.

The red palm weevil “is widely considered to be the most damaging insect pest of palms in the world”, it added.