Romania to Invest EUR 1.5 Billion in Irrigation Systems

Due to the country’s ongoing drought, the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture has set aside EUR 1.5 billion for irrigation and drainage infrastructure.

The project to modify the National Program for the Rehabilitation of the Main Irrigation Infrastructure in Romania and the Drainage Infrastructure was introduced by the Romanian Minister of Agriculture, Petre Daea, in a public debate. It tries to modify agriculture in response to climate change and lessen its effects on agricultural output, as well as on other natural elements and the human population.

Romania is experiencing a severe issue—the potential of water depletion—due to climatic changes and rising temperatures, even in the winter. Before deciding to invest in irrigation (an imperative measure necessary for Romanian agriculture), the authorities warned the citizens to utilize it responsibly for all purposes.

The funds from the national budget assigned to the program total EUR 1.5 billion and will be used up to 2027.

This proposed normative act aims to build 150 additional irrigation facilities, up from 89. Additionally, it will expand the area that will get irrigation from 1,800,679 ha to 2,600,439 ha, improving the economic viability of irrigation systems. In addition, the area served by the irrigation infrastructure will increase from 1,212,917.8 ha to 1,464,349.70 ha, while the number of organizations that use water for irrigation will rise from 531 to 666.

The Ministry of Agriculture hopes this program will provide financial assistance for Romania’s irrigation system, which will improve the environment for development and growth and result in higher output yields per hectare.

In the European Union, Romania exports more grains than any other country, but now, Romania is facing a difficult situation. There have been reports of a substantial reduction in grain exports and supplies in Romania for several years. Although an agricultural country, this segment has been neglected recently, and the investments were never enough. This EUR 1.5 billion irrigation investment system was imperative for Romanian farmers due to drought and climate change.