2KR Project says demand for irrigation systems has increased

This year’s drought and high temperatures contributed to an important rise in the demand for irrigation equipment. According to the technical director of the Moldovan-Japanese project for supporting agricultural producers 2KR, Vasile Bumacov, all the irrigation machinery purchased as a result of a tender contest organized in spring have been already sold. “We have sold everything we had, even the 30 unsold systems from last year,” Bumacov said. The agricultural producers bought 74 Austrian irrigation systems Bauer for 10,000 EUR. There were sold 40 sets of irrigation equipment for orchards, vineyards and vegetable fields. The irrigation systems have been sold on credit repayable in four years. The project administration started to accept applications for purchasing equipment next year. The applications can be submitted by yearend. “No written applications have been received yet, but we reached verbal agreements. We expect the demand will have the same size as this year. The tender contest will be held in winter most probably, so that the machinery reaches the agricultural producers by March,” the technical director of 2KR said. According to the selling conditions, the farmers must pay an advance of 25% of the equipment’s cost. The systems come with a 15-years’ guarantee. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry says that only one quarter of the areas irrigated during the Soviet period are irrigated in Moldova at present.