Ministry of Agriculture: Collaboration is needed for successful water management

(Photo: Pixabay)

At the event, the State Secretary reminded that responsible water management is essential for successful agricultural production, which is of paramount importance not only for the actors in agriculture, but also for future generations. “We must cooperate with nature, which can be done by improving the organic matter content and water-binding capacity of the soil, increasing the evaporative surfaces and retaining water in the landscape,” he pointed out. He added that changing the current practice of water management and spreading long-term sustainable methods play an important role in adapting to climate change in order to ensure that agricultural water demand can be met.

Imre Hubai highlighted that the Ministry of Agriculture aims to continuously and significantly increase the size of irrigated areas and to approach 350 thousand hectares by 2030

According to his presentation, the ministry supported more than 1,300 water management projects in the Rural Development Program, amounting to more than 168 billion forints. As a result, the irrigated area expanded by 32 thousand hectares, and many old infrastructures were renovated. Within this, more than 130 irrigation communities received non-refundable support, amounting to almost 10 billion forints. He indicated that the application of water-conserving management practices would be further encouraged within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan. The tenders prioritize technical solutions that take into account the scarcity of surface and groundwater resources and, accordingly, result in maximum water savings. Accordingly, the ministry has announced two calls for proposals. The budget for the tender for the implementation of larger, more complex irrigation development investments is 49.3 billion forints, while the smaller call is available with a budget of 16.5 billion forints. According to the state secretary, we also need to review some of our traditions in order to retain water; for example, non-rotation tillage can help in the application of the WaterGuard technology.

MTI