The organization and multiplication of water user associations and providing them with financial support from the EU and the state budget is a viable solution for counteracting the negative effects of the drought, considers Minister of Agriculture Petre Daea, writes Agerpres.

„Investment works in various stages – at the beginning, completed or underway – were intended to modernize pumping stations, increase the operating efficiency, reduce energy consumption, eliminate water loss, achieve a uniform irrigation of the crops. The organization and multiplication of water user associations and providing them with financial support from the EU and from the state budget is a viable solution for counteracting the negative effects of the drought. The irrigation facilities used in the field are of the most modern type. Under no circumstances is this an outdated concept,” Daea wrote on Thursday on Facebook.

The Agriculture Minister met on July 25 with Minister of Investments and European Projects Marcel Bolos to determine the steps that need to be taken to make the case for Romanian agriculture before the authorities in Brussels and identify solutions to introduce them in the NRRP.

The two officials agreed to undertake together some fact-finding trips to see how the irrigation system is organized in Romania.

„Learning firsthand what the situation of the irrigation systems is, where the modernization process has been completed or is underway, was a pleasant surprise for Mr. Bolos, which he shared with the farmers. These experiences are a good support for knowledge and support in the negotiation of EU allocations for agriculture in order to continue the modernization and automation of Romania’s irrigation system. The system’s rehabilitation, as provided for by the National Irrigation Plan, is carried out according to a new concept, on the existing network, with no restrictions regarding land ownership or removal thereof from the circuit. State ownership over the main infrastructure gives us freedom of action,” Petre Daea also stated.

The National Strategic Plan earmarks 500 million euros for the modernization of secondary irrigation systems and the creation of local systems.

„It is our chance to develop agriculture by using the available water resources. Let’s use them before they reach the sea, when we can no longer harness them!,” is the Agriculture Minister’s call.

Sourse: AGERPRES