Currently, the area of irrigated land in the country where water-saving technologies are applied has reached 2.6 million hectares, accounting for 60 percent of the total irrigated area. For comparison, before 2017, territories where water-saving technologies were implemented covered 19 thousand hectares. As a result of these efforts, annual water savings have reached 2.5 billion cubic meters.
During the presentation, new proposals to expand the scope of ongoing work were discussed.
In particular, it is planned to introduce water-saving technologies on an additional 930 thousand hectares by 2028, bringing the total area to 3.5 million hectares, or 80 percent of all irrigated land. As a result, this is expected to enable the annual saving of 3.5 billion cubic meters of water, improve water supply for 300 thousand hectares, and ensure the irrigation of secondary crops.
The water resources saved by introducing water-saving technologies will ensure the guaranteed coverage of farmers’ irrigation needs in areas with limited water supply.
To this end, new mechanisms of state support for the introduction of water-saving technologies in agricultural production will be introduced.
In particular, it is proposed to determine the size of the tax rate and water resource subsidies based on the level of water resource availability in the land. For instance, when introducing water-saving technologies on irrigated lands in areas with an unstable water supply, the allocated subsidies will be calculated using a 1.25 multiplier.
Furthermore, a new subsidy mechanism will be introduced for initiators who implement water-saving technologies with their own funds, without taking out bank loans. Under this system, 50 percent of the subsidy amount is allocated in advance by the Agency for Payments in the Agrarian Sector based on the relevant design and cost estimate documentation and a contract with the contractor enterprise.
Subsidies will now also be provided for areas where drip and sprinkler irrigation are introduced for grain crop cultivation.
The possibility of partial interest reimbursement on loans from commercial banks for the purchase and installation of water-saving technologies will be introduced. Loan funds for implementing drip irrigation in cotton fields will be allocated annually starting in November.
Henceforth, contracting organizations that install water-saving technologies must provide a guarantee of at least 2 years for each project and ensure service maintenance for 5 years.
Issues related to strengthening state oversight in this area were discussed.
To improve water resource management and water accounting at intake points on lands where rice is grown, and fish farms are established, smart water metering and measurement devices integrated with the “Suv Hisobi” information system will be installed.
Departments for water-saving technologies and water-use monitoring will be established within the regional subdivisions of the Inspectorate for the Safety of Water Management Facilities and Control of Water Use. A procedure will be introduced for the inspectorate to conduct inspections of business entities using body cameras. The inspectorate will be authorized to use unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor water use and losses on agricultural fields.
At the same time, the need to strengthen control over the targeted use of installed water-saving technologies was noted. Irrigation using traditional methods in areas where water-saving technologies have been implemented and subsidies have been allocated, without the use of these technologies or their primary elements, shall be regarded as unauthorized water use.
To protect farmers’ interests in the implementation of water-saving technologies, it has been proposed to exempt lawsuits filed in court by the inspectorate and its territorial departments from state fees related to the installation of water-saving technologies.
The Head of State pointed out the need to increase the sector’s human resource potential.
At the presentation, plans for personnel training and skills development for implementing and operating water-saving technologies, drawing on advanced foreign experience, were outlined. In particular, as part of the “School of Water Specialists” project, employees from 10,000 farms will upgrade their skills this year, and 358 water management specialists will be sent abroad for advanced training.
