Balijepalli, S.B. and J.R. Faleiro. 2019. Is policy paralysis on quarantine issues in the Near East and North Africa region leading to the buildup and spread of red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus?. Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 37(2): 89-100. The red palm weevil (RPW) is now a global threat, demanding a global strategy for its control and eventual eradication. In North Africa, RPW has been reported from all the countries except Algeria leaving several queries as to why this pest did not reach there. Enforcement of strict quarantine measures in the five Maghreb countries of Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania kept the weevil at bay until 2008, but the region is today riddled with this dreaded pest with the exception of Algeria. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that strict regulatory regimes can restrict the spread and eventually eradicate the pest. The RPW-IPM program of Canary Islands in Spain where the RPW was effectively eradicated with no reports of weevil captures since 2016 is a classic example. Likewise, in Mauritania and Morocco quarantine laws did prevent the spread of the weevil, restricting it to the original foci of infestation. Ineffective quarantine regimes coupled with weak enforcement and difficulties in early detection of infested plants contributed to the rapid spread of RPW. Country reports on variety of issues right from the status, challenges and recommendations with respect to RPW control in Egypt,

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