Sustainable water management is the basis of innovative agriculture

(Photo: AM/István Fekete)

The State Secretary highlighted that irrigation development using innovative methods is essential to maintain the competitiveness of Hungarian agriculture, and therefore the Ministry of Agriculture treats its support as a priority. The ministry aims to significantly increase the proportion of irrigated areas year after year, contributing to strengthening crop security and the rise of higher value-added crops. Based on the periods of low rainfall in recent years, the government declared a state of drought and established the Drought Protection Operational Group and the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Water Management, which is working on the coordination of long-term water management strategies. The Ministry of Agriculture supports farmers and stakeholders in the water sector with various programs, such as the Agro-ecological Program and the Water into the Landscape Program, emphasized Imre Hubai. Another novelty is the possibility that producers can voluntarily offer their land for water retention purposes in cooperation with the water authority, thus facilitating the agricultural utilization of the available surface water resources and the surplus water generated during floods. He explained that the ministry has so far recognized more than 308 sustainable water management communities, whose total irrigated area is more than 104 thousand hectares. Of this, the area to be newly irrigated is more than 88 thousand hectares.

The ministry has so far supported more than 1,300 water management projects, totaling 168 billion forints

This increased the size of irrigated agricultural areas by 32,000 hectares. In addition, more than 130 sustainable water management communities received nearly 10 billion forints in support. Two irrigation development tenders are currently being announced: a budget of 49.3 billion forints is available for complex investments within the plant, while a budget of 16.5 billion forints is available for smaller-scale developments. A total of 308 applications for support have been received in the two submission phases so far, with a request for support of approximately 91 billion forints. The opportunity to apply again will open from September 30, said Imre Hubai. “Adapting to the natural water cycle, responsible water use and the dissemination of innovative agricultural technologies are essential conditions for domestic agriculture to provide a safe and sustainable livelihood not only for the present but also for future generations,” the State Secretary underlined.

AM