The calls for tenders for irrigation development have been published

By: STA Date: 2024. 11. 06. 11:00

Irrigation development is one of the fundamental conditions for strengthening the competitiveness of Hungarian agriculture. Substantial application opportunities for producer investments were available within the framework of the Rural Development Program, and the opportunity is also available to farmers in the new support cycle. The aim is for the size of the irrigated areas to increase continuously in the coming years in order to increase production security and the cultivation of higher value crops. This is also served by the two tender schemes announced at the beginning of November with a total amount of HUF 65.8 billion.

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On the basis of the call entitled “Support for complex investments within agricultural holdings that improve the efficiency of irrigation and water use”, a grant amount of at least HUF 200 million and a maximum of HUF 5 billion can be requested, so this scheme will serve the implementation of larger, complex developments. In the call for proposals entitled “Support for intra-farm investments that improve the efficiency of irrigation and water use”, a grant amount of up to HUF 200 million can be requested for the implementation of investments that require less support.

The applications submitted for the two calls are evaluated separately, they do not compete with each other for resources

The constructions support the introduction of water-saving irrigation technologies, the optimization of water use in irrigation systems, the modernization, expansion and reconstruction of water-saving irrigation infrastructure and related artefacts, as well as the creation of new irrigation water supply works and systems. Priority is given to technical solutions that take into account the scarcity of surface and underground water resources and, accordingly, result in maximum water savings. Beneficiaries of irrigation investments can be agricultural producers. What is new compared to the Rural Development Program is that producer collaborations and sustainable water management communities meet the eligibility conditions due to their status. Taking into account the time required for the compilation of tender documentation, grant applications will be submitted from February 4, 2025 for calls for financing investments requiring smaller support, and from March 4 for calls to help implement complex developments.