Ministerial Decision No. 84/2015 concerning the protection of date palm, coconut and ornamental trees, those similar to the palm tree, and their seedlings.

This Resolution consisting of 9 articles and 3 Annexes aims at protecting some species of plants through regulating their import. The ban is excluded for (i) research reasons after the consent of the Minister and a permit issued by the Directorate General for Agricultural Development and (ii) importing date palm seedlings in vitro, if in accordance with the terms and conditions prescribed by the Ministry. Article 4 prohibits the transfer of date palm, coconut and ornamental trees and their seedlings and all their vegetation parts from the areas declared as agricultural quarantine areas. The import from other then the above-mentioned areas is permitted only after obtaining a permit from the local Department or the Agricultural Development Center. Annex 1 specifies rules for the import of date palms seedling in vitro; Annex 2 lists the kinds of date palms and seedlings prohibited to be imported; Annex 3 specifies terms and conditions to export palm seedlings.