Macedonian Agriculture ministry has announced that a total of 9 million EUR will be invested over the year in new irrigation infrastructure, cleaning of existing channels, and will also work on legal changes to enable better management of the irrigation systems. Agriculture Minister Mihail Cvetkov has announced a 10 year program to build new and repair existing irrigation systems worth 200 millions EUR.

According to the agriculture, forestry and water-works minister Cvetkov, the goal of this program will be to increase agriculture yields, but also secure that there will be enough water for future droughts.

- The Government and the Ministry have invested a lot in the agriculture recently, in terms of increased subsidies, and we will continue to maintain the subsidy levels at EUR 600 million over the next four years. But, for better quality production, on top of the subsidies, we also need sun and water, Cvetkov said.

From the planned EUR 9 million investment drive, main projects will be the Orizarska Reka, Markova Reka and Slupcanska Reka dams, the Strezevo and Raven Recica systems, as well as the smaller Konjska Reka dams.

- These are serious projects that will contribute to improved agriculture and water management, considering that, apart from the rainy year we are now having, we expect an increase in droughts in the coming period, Cvetkov said.

The agriculture minister announced that 140 kilometers of irrigation channels will be cleaned up during the year, beginning in September and October.

The changes to the legal framework will enable better insight into the management of the public water management systems, many of which, Cvetkov added, would declare bankruptcy and re-emerge as new, clean companies. "The legal framework prevented the Government and the Ministry from having sufficient insight in the way these companies operated", Cvetkov added.

Cvetkov has outlined a EUR 200 million capital investment program, that will soon be promoted, and which will address priority projects in separate municipalities. It will include building of new irrigation systems, closing down of currently open systems that were prone to theft and introduction of drip irrigation systems. Cvetkov said the Ministry is looking at the idea of introducing cards which the water users need to purchase the water from the irrigation systems, that might help make the systems self-sustainable.