Integrated Management of Red Palm Weevil  

The Red Palm Weevil is one of the most dangerous pests threatening date palm cultivation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was first recorded in 1987, and since then it has posed a serious threat to this vital national agricultural wealth

Given the economic, nutritional, and social importance of palm trees in the Kingdom, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture adopted an integrated management approach for the prevention and control of this pest. These efforts produced tangible results, reducing infestation rates from 7% in 1993 to less than 1% at present.

strengthen scientific efforts and benefit from international expertise, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture established technical partnerships with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to develop a national strategy based on global best practices, thereby enhancing the Kingdom’s readiness to confront the growing challenges posed by this pest

In 2022, a decision was issued transferring all responsibilities and mandates related to palm pest prevention and control, as well as other plant pests, from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture to Weqaa Center, making it the technical and executive authority leading prevention and control efforts at the field level. This decision marked an important organizational step that improved institutional performance and strengthened technical and field work.

Building on this progress, Weqaa Center continued to achieve the targets of the National Transformation Program through a dedicated initiative entitled “Red Palm Weevil Prevention and Control”, which aimed to raise the efficiency of prevention and control across all regions of the Kingdom. The initiative involved a series of specialized operational projects, achieving 67 performance indicators, and was concluded at the end of 2024 after fulfilling all its objectives. To enhance field performance and improve implementation tools, Weqaa Center is currently leading comprehensive development efforts, including the preparation of a national executive plan, from which tailored operational plans were developed for each region based on infestation levels, ensuring optimal allocation of resources.

The Procedural Guide for the Integrated Management of the Red Palm Weevil has also been updated. This comprehensive technical guide provides step-by-step protocols supported by field illustrations, covering all control stages from detection to treatment. Awareness and training programs have expanded significantly, targeting engineers, technicians, and farmers, alongside the activation of regular monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure quality implementation and continuous improvement. On the technical level, the program adopted comprehensive regular inspection, based on targeted farm categories, as an alternative to random preventive spraying, in order to develop more effective treatment approaches.

One of the most notable methods has been the use of aluminum phosphide, which has proven highly effective in eradicating all life stages of the pest without leaving harmful residues. A strict occupational safety protocol was developed, including the use of special isolation jackets for infested palms and restricted pesticide handling, in addition to applying localized injection and chiseling techniques depending on the type and severity of infestation. Through this integration of institutional, technical, and regulatory dimensions, and with the support of strong national and international collaboration, the Kingdom continues its efforts to protect date palms from one of the most dangerous plant pests, establishing an integrated model recognized regionally and globally in pest management and plant security.