Bulgaria aims to quadruple its irrigated area
A call for funding of irrigation investments under the Rural Development Program is now open until November 15th with total budget of €50.000.000.
Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture and Food has ambitious plans to increase irrigated areas in the country from the current 40 thousand hectares to 150 thousand hectares. The goal was emphasized by the transitional minister Georgi Tahov during a meeting with representatives of branch organizations in Bulgarian agriculture on August 16th.
The pipeline ahead
The further development of irrigation infrastructure should continue in subsequent stages, with the goal being to expand the irrigated areas to 850 thousand hectares in a long term. "The high costs of agricultural production is also a result of lagging irrigation. This should be a national policy and commitment," said the Minister of Agriculture.
The development of irrigation infrastructure will be started after a complete inventory review of the current state of the irrigated areas managed by state-owned Irrigation Systems company, which has not been done since 1992. The data will be merged into a single digital model. It is planned that the inventory review will be carried out including through geodetic surveying of the facilities and aerial photography. A working group will develop the complete documentation in order to start a procedure for awarding activities to update the overview of irrigated areas in Bulgaria.
Investment support for agricultural holdings
In line with the priority of irrigation development in Bulgaria, on 14th of August, an additional call for funding of irrigation projects was opened under the 4.1 measure for investments in agricultural holdings (BG), part of the Rural Development Program (RDP) 2014-2020. All areas with existing irrigation installations will be eligible, as well as those that are not irrigated, if an irrigation system was operating there as of January 1, 2007.
Priority will be given to investment projects in fruits and vegetables, livestock, essential oil and medicinal crops sectors as well as groups and organizations of producers, young farmers, organic producers and farms, meeting the criteria for a successful market presence. It is expected that investments to be implemented will improve the overall resilience and sustainability of agricultural holdings. More efficient management of water resources will also increase their competitiveness.
When it comes to efficient and resilient farming, availability of water and modern and reliable irrigation and fertigation systems have proven as “a must”. Smart usage of water and fertilizers does not only significantly lower costs (incl. labor) and reduce human error risks, but also contributes to sustainable production. This is especially valid with the increased climate volatility and frequent draughts and extreme heat waves that are causing significant damage to Bulgarian producers in recent years.
The total grant budget under the call is almost BGN 98.000.000 (EUR 50.000.000). The minimum amount of eligible costs per project proposal is BGN 29 337 (EUR 15.000), and the maximum - BGN 880 110 (EUR 450.000). The grant funding covers up to 50% of the eligible investment costs.
Bulgarian agricultural holdings may apply for funding under the additional 4.1 RDP measure call until November 15th, 2024.
LAN Bulgaria and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Sofia facilitate Netherlands businesses in exploring opportunities on Bulgarian market, for example by supporting the ongoing Netherlands Fruit Basket Bulgaria Partners for International Business program.