Luxor takes action against palm weevil disease

Infected trees are to be injected with pesticides A new campaign to eradicate red palm weevil disease was launched in Egypt’s Luxor region on Saturday. The initiative aims to protect the local palm population and boost date production. Infected trees will be injected with pesticides using hydraulic devices, which can inoculate between 25 and 30 palm trees a day. The mechanical process is ten times more efficient than manual injection.
The project is part of the Pro-poor horticulture value chain in Upper Egypt (SALASEL), a collaborative programme involving United Nations and Egyptian government organisations.
Project manager Nubi Hakki says engineers from SALASEL and Luxor’s Agricultural Directorate are currently supervising five hydraulic devices.
The campaign hopes to eliminate the red palm weevil disease from Luxor province by the end of May.