More difficult from the land: Frozen relations and administrative obstacles hinder irrigation

The biggest obstacle for the construction of irrigation fields is administrative rules and regulations. This was stated categorically by Alexander Dimitrov, chairman of the agricultural cooperative in the village of Bryshten, Ruse region. The cooperative cultivates 12,000 decares of land, on which cereal and oilseed crops are grown. Over the past 13 years, the farmer has invested in the construction of irrigation facilities to save from widespread drought. "We managed to make nearly 10% of the fields irrigated, on which we mainly grow corn, as this is the most profitable crop for irrigation for me. Corn cannot be produced without water, and the last three years have fully proven this. We harvest between 100 and 300 kg, which is a complete failure for the crop, considering that in our fields years ago, under normal conditions without irrigation, we harvested up to about a ton of corn. Such results are no longer possible in recent years, and this forced us to resort to the ...