Never before have so many agricultural investments in irrigation development received support

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For many years, the Rural Development Program had a call for proposals entitled “Development of the agricultural water management sector”. The call comprehensively provided development resources for all activities related to irrigation. Among other things, it was possible to apply for funds for the construction of new water extraction works, the installation of new irrigation machines and lines, and the replacement of elements of outdated irrigation systems. In recent weeks alone, decisions supporting irrigation development projects worth more than HUF 76 billion have been made, he added. While in 2018 only 240 water management tenders with a value of HUF 8.6 billion were successfully included in the call for proposals, by June 30, 2024, 1,212 irrigation projects already have supporting documents, have been implemented or are being implemented, in the amount of HUF 176.5 billion. Thanks to the Rural Development Program, many facilities have been modernized, and new irrigation development can be realized on 32,000 hectares compared to the old ones.

István Nagy also touched on the fact that cooperation between farmers plays an important role in agricultural production, and this is also the case in irrigated farming

Thanks to the VP, it was also possible to support the cooperation of the irrigation communities. The projects that applied successfully could receive HUF support of a maximum of EUR 250,000, with the maximum amount of support being 90 percent of all eligible costs. On the basis of the call, it was possible to apply for the operation and maintenance of the existing, joint-interest irrigation plants, as well as for the preparation of new irrigation investments. Since the publication of the call, as a result of the decisions made so far, 144 irrigation communities have already received HUF 10.65 billion in support, the minister pointed out. He emphasized that the Ministry of Agriculture treats the development of irrigated agriculture as a priority, as it has been and will do in the future. Support opportunities will continue, which will also be available within the framework of the KAP Strategic Plan. From the point of view of strengthening the agricultural production of our country, it is crucial that as many investments as possible related to irrigation development are realized. Our goal is for the size of irrigated areas to approach 350,000 hectares by 2030 – underlined the head of the agricultural ministry.

AM