Farmers Provided with Free Irrigation Water for Drought
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The government will provide farmers with irrigation water free of charge by covering the cost of water charges in the amount of approximately HUF 10 billion (EUR 25 million), announced Minister of Agriculture István Nagy on Sunday.
As a guest of Kossuth Radio, the minister emphasized that the consequences of climate change must be mitigated with all possible means, and that all available resources must be used to ensure that water reaches the countryside. The whole of Europe is struggling with drought, with 60 percent less water reaching the Tisza riverbed and 40 percent less reaching the Danube, he explained. There is no single answer to the water shortage; unique solutions must be developed everywhere, he added.
In areas suffering from water shortages, the best solutions must be found urgently in cooperation with farmers and water management experts, he emphasized. However, Hungary is not currently losing more water than it is receiving, the politician said reassuringly.
He noted that
according to forecasts, this year will be the hottest summer in Europe, hence the government has set up a Task Force against Drought as a preventive measure and has reallocated resources to ensure that all channels that once contained water are filled again.
Filling is in full swing, and although it is difficult to assess the outlook for this year at this stage, spring cereals have developed well, with good average yields, sunflowers are holding up, but corn has already been damaged. Rain is sorely needed, but the cold front arrived at just the right time in the second half of the week, and precipitation may also arrive at the end of next week.
Drought-affected areas in Hungary (2011-2024). Source: KSH / Nemzeti Archívum / MTI
He emphasized that due to the water shortage in agriculture, the government is now taking over the water charges from farmers in the amount of HUF 10 billion,
and has allocated an additional HUF 4.7 billion (EUR 11.8 million) for the repair of sluices, locks, and pumps.
The size of irrigated areas has doubled in the past three years and currently stands at 150,000 hectares, explained the minister. Farmers have received HUF 176 billion (EUR 440 million) for infrastructure replacement, and a HUF 65 billion (EUR 162.6 million) tender is currently open to them. Farming communities irrigate 104,000 hectares.
The minister pointed out that
the funds allocated for investments have made it possible to convert temporary reservoirs into permanent ones and to complete the dredging of 259 kilometers of canals.
Hungary can now store 3 billion cubic meters of water, one and a half times the volume of Lake Balaton.
The change in attitude is also reinforced by legal instruments, with the law on irrigation farming stating that irrigation is in the public interest and that inland water is no longer an enemy, as it used to be, and is now eligible for area-based support, said István Nagy.
Funding can also be requested for the creation of wetlands, agroforestry investments, and the planting of field protection forest strips. Many producers have offered their land that is less suitable for economical cultivation as wetland areas, which shows that the farming community is committed to natural, long-term solutions, he added.
The minister announced that the government is also planning complex, large-scale investments. For instance, the water shortage in the sand dunes between the Danube and Tisza rivers, affecting almost 12,000 square kilometers and 800,000 people, needs to be remedied. Water replenishment in the Danube plain will be carried out in the Danube Valley Main Canal area on 1,500 hectares of land through flooding, canal reconstruction and new dams.
Ultrasonic water volume measurement during drought damage prevention exercises in Szentes on June 18, 2025. Photo: MTI/Lehoczky Péter
Water replenishment for the alkaline lakes in Homokhátság (area between the Danube and the Tisza rivers in southern Hungary) will be provided by a 20-kilometer pipeline and several dams. The southern part of the area will be supplied by several pressure pipes and pumping stations.
In addition to agriculture, these investments will also help restore natural habitats, improve the microclimate and increase the region’s retention power, said István Nagy.
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