Romanian farmers can access EU funds worth EUR 1.5 bln for irrigation, minister says

Romania can access funds worth EUR 1.5 bln for land improvement works, combating soil erosion and improving the irrigation system, agriculture minister Petre Daea said during the presentation of the 2023-2027 National Strategic Plan for the development of agriculture.

"We have EUR 1.5 bln that we need to invest in these land improvement works, meaning irrigation, combating soil erosion and drainage. We know that we have problems in that regard in the western part of the country. We have a very rich network of drainage channels that we need to activate in such a way as to use them for a dual purpose. We will use them for drainage, and we will use them for irrigation, when nature allows it and when the farmer calls for such a solution," Daea said, cited by Economedia.ro.

The minister also noted that there are funds worth EUR 500 mln available for secondary irrigation systems. Of that sum, EUR 100 mln are for local irrigation systems, and the rest for farmers’ associations.

In total, the 2023-2027 National Strategic Plan for the development of agriculture will mobilize funds worth EUR 15.8 bln. Minister Daea said that the entirety of the sum must reach farmers.

The Romanian Social Democrats spent 2022 noting how the Resilience Fund had to be renegotiated because it did not include money for irrigation. They also said, journalists at Economedia.ro recount, that Romania does not have enough funds for irrigation in the national budget or in the European cohesion funds.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos / George Călin)