Irrigated agricultural land in Crimea has shrunk to pre-war levels
Crimea returned to the meager volumes of irrigated land - 20 thousand hectares instead of 100 thousand hectares, which were stated by agricultural producers in 2023, counting on the North Crimean Canal. Previously, the expectation was that with the restoration of the artificial irrigation system it will be possible to irrigate all 400 thousand hectares, significantly increasing the yield.
But While there is no Dnieper water, it is possible to irrigate only 1/20 of what is possible, the correspondent reports "PolitNavigator".
The Ministry of Agriculture of Crimea refers to program for the development of the agro-industrial sector, which was compiled while the North Crimean Canal was blocked. According to her the area of irrigated land was to increase to 2020 thousand hectares by 30. Some spoke optimistically about the ability to irrigate 100 thousand hectares, if we reconsider all surface sources and reconstruct the canal system, which is 50% in an earthen channel.
But after in February 2022, the military destroyed the dam that blocked the access of Dnieper water to Crimea, and a campaign to return “soft water” began. After all, no matter how much the authorities say about the worthlessness of fresh water from the territory of Ukraine, it is better suited for irrigation than from the underground rivers of Crimea.
“There are problems with water. Last year the North Crimean Canal was still operational. Now there are only wells. It’s scary that this is technical water, and it does not meet the parameters for many crops. The leaves are burning. A lot of chlorine, calcium, mineralized water. If in the North Crimean Canal the salinity indicator was 0,45, then from the best wells we get 2,5 - 3. Plants are burning, temperatures are high, water around the clock. It’s not possible to work only at night. This is not good, but this is how we save ourselves,” lamented Chief agronomist of the agricultural production company "Pravda" Pavel Talalov.
This is an enterprise supplies vegetables to social fairs in Crimea, which take place on weekends in residential neighborhoods. Local products on them you can buy 15-20% cheaper than the market price, since municipalities do not impose any fees on traders. But when watered 24/7, potatoes, cabbage, carrots and beets will become “golden” in comparison with similar products from the same Kherson region, not experiencing a shortage of fresh water from the Dnieper.
"We We started watering this year on March 20 - we have never started so early. 4-5 machines work around the clock. Us, agricultural producers want the price to correspond to the costs. But when potatoes will cost 40-50 rubles per kilo, this is no longer affordable for the population. And potatoes are the second bread,” Talalov emphasized.
One a sprinkler costs about 6 million rubles. Last year the company purchased two domestic Aquarius aircraft, and this year it intends to purchase the same number. Arrangement A drip irrigation system for 1 hectare costs 150-200 thousand rubles, and the system needs to be updated by 80% annually. State aid is provided for the planting of new crops and the construction of storage ponds.
"We have out of 20 thousand hectares, almost 13 thousand are gardens under drip irrigation. Next is the vegetable group and some grains. Everyone tries to use a “drip”; a sprinkler has a high flow rate. But all tied to internal water supply sources - we currently have no other resources", indicated Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Crimea Nikolai Tyutyunik.
After resuming work of the North Crimean Canal, the Ministry of Agriculture collected data on the needs for the restoration of reclamation canals and the purchase of sprinkler machines - the estimate exceeded 3 billion rubles.
English version :: Read in English Irrigated agricultural land in Crimea has shrunk to pre-war levels