Ukraine attracts its first grant for modernization of public hydraulic engineering facilities: EUR 6 million for irrigation in Odesa region
Updated
The President of Ukraine signed the Law of Ukraine ratifying the Grant Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Italian Republic on the implementation of a project to improve the efficiency of water use in the Odesa region. The document opens up the possibility of attracting EUR 6 million in grant funding.
The project involves the modernization of the Tatarbunar and Kiliya irrigation systems in the Odesa region. This includes upgrading pumping equipment, cleaning and restoring irrigation canals, and introducing automated water supply management systems. The implementation of these measures will significantly reduce unproductive water losses, optimize irrigation regimes, and ensure more rational use of water resources in the context of climate change.
It is expected that more than 50 agricultural producers in southern Odesa region shall benefit from the project, including 43 users of the Tatarbunar irrigation system and 7 users of the Kiliya irrigation system, while stable irrigation shall be provided on tens of thousands of hectares of agricultural land. This will create the conditions for increased yields, stable production, and higher incomes for farmers, as well as will strengthen the competitiveness of the region's agricultural sector.
"Such agreements open up opportunities for the systematic modernization of irrigation infrastructure in southern Ukraine. This is not just about the technical upgrade of individual facilities—the modernization of systems is also aimed at achieving water and environmental goals, in particular reducing water losses, cutting down on unproductive water use, and managing resources more rationally. The implementation of the project will allow agricultural producers to plan production more stably, reduce climate risks, and increase the productivity of irrigated land," said Iryna Ovcharenko, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine.