The changed climate conditions make in necessary to change the tradition of Hungarian water management that is looking back on a past of almost 200 years and has created enormous value. Instead of water drainage, the goal now is water retention, and in addition to state incentives, science, education and research have a key role in the paradigm shift, Minister of State for Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture (AM) Zsolt Feldman said at the 2nd International Conference on Water Science held on World Water Day.

At the Szarvas campus of St Stephen University, the Minister of State spoke of irrigation being indispensible for economical agricultural production. The effects of climate change are already perceptible, he said, for example the amount of precipitation was 25 percent less last autumn and winter than in the corresponding periods before. Today, only a mere 2 percent or so of Hungarian agricultural land is being irrigated, but the relevant needs are far greater. According to the survey of the Chamber of Agriculture, farmers would invest in irrigation development on around 266 thousand hectares. The government supports this demand by various incentives.

According to Zsolt Feldman, the aim is to increase irrigated areas by 100 thousand hectares by 2024. In the next ten years, the government allocates development resources of HUF 17 billion per year, i.e. HUF 170 billion altogether, to the upgrading of the main public works related to irrigation. It is also necessary to simplify water rights licensing and to encourage the voluntary irrigation communities of producers. Investments by farmers are promoted by the tenders of the Rural Development Programme; at the moment, 19 tenders are accessible, with a total budget of HUF 303 billion.

Finally, the Minister of State underlined that, in order to mitigate the effects of climate change and preserve rural areas for agricultural production, it is a must to align the operations of agriculture and water management. It is our common interest to be able to use the achievements of education, science and research as extensively as possible.

(AM Press Office)