site.btaPrime Minister, European Commissioner Hansen, Agriculture Minister Unveil Reconstructed Irrigation Canal
Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen and Agriculture and Food Minister Georgi Tahov inaugurated a reconstructed main canal M-1, part of the Trakiets irrigation network in Haskovo Region on Friday. The renovation of the facility cost BGN 6.865 million and was funded under the Rural Development Programme.
The ceremony was also attended by Irrigations Systems Executive Director Snezhina Dineva.
In 2024, the Agriculture Ministry announced that the repair would increase the irrigated area in the Haskovo Region to 3,907 hectares. The reconstruction aims to reduce water loss and improve the canal’s flow capacity. The canal is 47.515 kilometers long. The upgrade will allow for the supply of larger volumes of water, which will expand irrigated areas and help prevent flooding of adjacent agricultural lands. Water distribution and canal operation will also be improved, along with easier maintenance and cleaning.
During the official part of the ceremony, Prime Minister Zhelyazkov said that the Government is fulfilling its commitment to the proper, accurate, and timely planning and management of water resources. He noted that over the next two years, under the Strategic Plan for the Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas, nearly 100,000 hectares of land will be included in irrigation efforts, and a programme financed by the state budget will make it possible to increase the irrigated area to 240,000 hectares.
European Commissioner Hansen said that Bulgarian farmers whose crops were damaged by frost this spring will receive EUR 7.4 million to cover the damage. He pointed out that with global climate change, problems are becoming more frequent, but with irrigation facilities such as the reconstructed canal, farmers' work is made easier. With mutual assistance between the European Union and Bulgaria, the farmers can cope with these consequences, he added. Hansen addressed the farmers, saying that they are the ones who make food security possible. In his words, they are on the front line, providing the necessary food.
Agriculture and Food Minister Tahov described the reconstructed canal as not just a technical modernization project, but a strategic investment in the future, with long-term and commensurate benefits. He noted that modern agriculture cannot progress without irrigation. The agricultural sector needs predictability, resources, and long-term care to be competitive, and farmers rely on support that allows them to plan and develop their farms, he added. He also said that the Strategic Plan provides for an additional EUR 100 million to be invested in irrigation infrastructure, and by 2028, investments will grow to over BGN 1.5 billion, which will increase the irrigated area in the country by over 250,000 ha.
Irrigation Systems Executive Director Dineva said that 35 new projects under the Strategic Plan for the Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas 2023–2027 are expected to be launched by the end of the year. Dineva said that the implementation of the new projects is expected to enable the irrigation of an additional 40,000 hectares of agricultural land. She noted that 24 projects have already been completed nationwide, including the rehabilitation of main irrigation and trunk canals, pumping stations and other facilities. As a result, water supply has been secured for an extra 20,000 ha. During the 2025 irrigation season, the company supplied water to a total of 39,000 ha of farmland.
/DS/
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