H E Dr Hamad bin Said bin Sulaiman al Aufi, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, has issued a Ministerial Decision (No 2020/2020) related to the protection of date palm trees and coconut trees.
The decision bans the import of palm trees, coconut trees and all of its vegetative parts. The exception to this prohibition is the import for research purposes after the approval of the minister.
The ban also includes the exception of the import of tree-grown date palm tree tissues chemically or thermally treated, which does not contain sand, natural soil or organic materials, and is produced in one of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Article 3 prohibits the import of 54 types of date palm tree varieties and seedlings. 'Anyone who violates the provisions of the decision will face a fine of no less than RO500 and not more than RO2,000 and the fine will be doubled for repeated violation.'
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