MOA: A contracts with an Austrian company to accelerate the shift towards modern irrigation

Baghdad - INA

The Ministry of Agriculture announced today, Thursday a contract to equip it with 12,000 pivot sprinklers, and while it confirmed that the value of their purchase amounts to 835 billion dinars, it indicated that the government will provide them to farmers within a plan for this year at a subsidized price of 30% and in installments extending over 10 years.

Ministry spokesman Muhammad Al-Khuzaie told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “The shift to using modern irrigation techniques is an integrated project due to the needs imposed by the reality of the situation represented by the state of water scarcity that Iraq suffers from,” noting that “this crisis is repeated every year for many people.” The reasons include the lack of water releases from Iraq’s quotas in the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, climate changes, and high temperatures.”.

He added, "This project was imposed by the circumstances that forced us to shift the use of modern irrigation techniques to the perpetuation, continuity, and development of the agricultural reality in Iraq, which has suffered from great difficulties in recent years," noting, "There are plans that were implemented on the ground through the conduct of many contracts with the Ministry of Industry and with the Austrian company Bauer, to which nine tenders were referred.”

He continued, "All of these measures accelerate the process of transformation towards modern technologies, which are the only realistic solution before us to perpetuate and continue our agricultural reality in the current circumstances."
He stated, “There are two contracts with the Ministry of Industry worth 134 billion dinars to equip us with more than 1,800 pivot sprinklers of various sizes (60 dunums, 80 dunums, 120 dunums),” pointing out that “a contract was signed with the Austrian company Bauer, which is the largest contract with this company.” "The European Union, known worldwide, donated $300 million to equip us with more than 6,000 axial sprinklers of various sizes.".

He stated, "There are nine tenders to equip us with more than 3,600 pivot sprinklers at a value of 250 billion dinars," explaining that "the total amounts allocated to purchase sprinklers exceeded 835 billion dinars.".

He pointed out that “the total number of sprinklers that it is hoped will reach us this year reaches 12,000 sprinklers,” explaining that “the total number of sprinklers prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture for farmers in successive governments does not exceed 1,400 pivot sprinklers only.”.

He pointed out, "This indicates the presence of a real will to shift towards using modern irrigation techniques," explaining, "This represents support for the farmer and the farmer at the same time."

He continued, "These sprinklers are provided with a subsidy rate of 30 percent of the price of the sprinkler, which is borne by the state, while the rest of the amount is divided among the farmers in installments over a period of 10 years," explaining, "Purchasing these sprinklers includes multiple options for the farmer and farmer through only one sponsor or a bond guarantee to facilitate and accelerate the process of switching to modern sprinklers.”.

He explained, "These 12,000 sprinklers will provide irrigation for approximately one million dunams and will be added to the service," pointing out that "this area is very large and will contribute to developing and increasing our wheat production.".

He stated, "These sprinklers will be used in the newly reclaimed desert lands, and will be achieved, considering that these sprinklers increase the productivity of the land by no less than 50 percent, which is a very large percentage," stressing, "There is a real change in the conviction of farmers and farmers of the necessity of transformation towards modern irrigation techniques.