Ivaylo Tonev to FACTI: 1.5 billion leva for irrigation, but for what exactly…

Will we ever have an adequate irrigation system for agriculture in Bulgaria… There is a lot of talk on the subject, but there is no effect. What is expected… Ivaylo Tonev, former manager of “Irrigation Systems“ EAD - Haskovo branch, speaks to FACTI.

- Mr. Tonev, at the moment the main hydro-ameliorative operator in the country is “Irrigation Systems“ EAD. For the next 4 years, the company will have a budget of 1.5 billion leva. Will we see a revival of irrigation in our country?
- From the point of view of financing, the main activities of the commercial company are divided into “Irrigation“ - transfer of water for irrigation, and “Drainage“- protection of nature from the harmful effects of water (OPVVV). Drainage is defined as a service of general economic interest and is financed by the state budget. The current Strategy for the Development of the Industry “Hydromelioration“ and “Protection from the Harmful Effects of Water“, adopted by Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 688/18.08.2016, clearly states: “The status of the company as the main hydromelioration operator is not regulated in any way. The “Law on Irrigation Associations“ (LAI) regulates the status only of irrigation associations. The status of “Irrigation Systems” EAD, as a joint-stock company, is in contradiction with a large part of its functions and the main activity it performs in the direction of maintaining dikes, river corrections and other protective hydrotechnical facilities. The model of using standard commercial companies for such activities, which are at the expense of the state budget, is wrong and is not able to resolve basic issues related to the financing and maintenance of the hydro-ameliorative infrastructure.“

- And what comes next…
- The main change envisaged in the Draft Law on Supplementing the Water Act Entry No. 51-554-01-100/08.05.2025, with submitters Ms. Desislava Taneva and a group of MPs, is that “Irrigation“ should also be a service of general economic interest - i.e. the expenses of the commercial company “Irrigation Systems“ EAD, which provide the service of transporting water for irrigation, TO BE AT THE BUDGET'S EXPENSE. So at the expense of all Bulgarian citizens. And the goal was to reduce the price of irrigation water for agricultural producers.

- So money will be taken from the budget again. That's how it turns out...
- That's how it turns out, but in my opinion the model that is being proposed is in complete contradiction with the Commercial Law. This model does not protect the interests of the state and would lead to criminal and inappropriate spending of the funds provided for a period of four years in the capitalization of the commercial company “Irrigation Systems“ EAD. As you said, they amount to 1.5 billion leva.

The functioning of a commercial company that does not actually have commercial activity is simply unacceptable.

It is European practice for activities financed by the state budget as a service of general economic interest to be provided by an Agency. It is simply that in this case the state's interest is not protected in terms of undertaking a commitment by agricultural producers in providing subsidized water. The element of binding is missing.

- And how is the process organized in neighboring countries?
- It is clearly regulated there, because there is a state vision. I am simply providing you with an irrigation scheme and what areas are involved. And your readers will now figure out for themselves what and how is happening.
Look, the problem in our country is clear, but no one - I mean those who are in power or were in power before them - has the benefit of speaking clearly on the topic of irrigation. After 2007, agriculture in the country was deliberately developed in the direction of “non-irrigated“. Subsidies per decare, not per production, the dismantling of the hydro-ameliorative fund managed by “Irrigation Systems”, as well as the trade in irrigation water, are the main prerequisites that lead to the lack of irrigated agriculture in the country. Over the past year, it has once again become clear that the waters in the dams and river runoff of our country serve the interests of other countries neighboring us, as well as the placing of the interests of producers of electricity from water before irrigation. And this is a violation of the “Water Law”. And at the same time, our farmers are in dire need of water. The newly formed Directorate "Hydromelioration" in the Ministry of Agriculture does not have the necessary professional capacity to implement a policy on planning, design and construction of hydromelioration facilities. It is simply an administrative body, implementing the rights of the owner - in the person of the Ministry of Agriculture, with the user "Irrigation Systems" EAD and the users of irrigation water. Placing a person with a clear conflict of interest at the head of the Directorate is unacceptable. There is no way that days before taking office you can be the owner and manager of companies engaged in design and construction in the field of hydromelioration, production and sale of electricity, owned by the MVPP, processing water from dams owned by the Ministry of Agriculture, and by transferring them to another family member, this can guarantee impartiality. The same person has held the position for more than a year, and the problems in the sector are deepening. Unresolved and priority topics such as the “Law on Hydromelioration“ and a working “Strategy for the Development of Irrigated Agriculture“ remain only in words.

- Is there an option for “Irrigation Systems“ EAD to be transformed into a non-commercial company?
- It is not profitable for them. “Irrigation Systems“ EAD to be a commercial company is only beneficial to those who want there to be no developed and functioning irrigated agriculture in the country. Respectively, the funds earmarked for the capitalization of the commercial company to be utilized in the dark and under the dictation and control solely of the “Hydromelioration“ Directorate in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development by a few people, veiled with incompetent “Advisory Councils on Hydromelioration and Irrigated Agriculture“, convened in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

- In the management program of the government “Zhelyazkov“ in the agriculture section, there is a goal set on how to develop irrigated agriculture. Will it happen…
- The program specifies a goal that concerns “… increasing the efficiency of the activities of public enterprises in the sector, aiming at effective management of sole proprietorships in the sector and taking action to restructure them.“ Whatever you understand from this and whatever this means. Ministers from the agriculture and environment sector in recent years, as well as all industry leaders, claim that irrigation should be a state policy and priority. It is clear that more than ever, Bulgarian agriculture needs access to subsidized water, but in a way that has been proven to work in a similar way to Greece and Romania, namely:
1. Creation of a State Economic Agency “Meliorations“, which would bring together “Irrigation Systems“ EAD, “Zeminvest“ EAD, SE “Management and Management of Dams“ and “Installations“ EAD, which would put an end to the trade in irrigation water and provide a service of general economic interest /irrigation and drainage/.
2. Adoption by the Bulgarian Parliament of a “National Hydromeliorations Program“, implementing a clear strategy for the development of hydromeliorations, in which the funds for the capitalization of “Irrigation Systems“ EAD, as well as the “Law on Hydromelioration“. By Order No. RD09-111/11.03.2008 of the Minister of Agriculture, a working group was appointed, which developed and proposed a Draft Law on Hydromelioration of 20.08.2008, as the project is purposefully hidden to this day in the Ministry of Agriculture.
3. Subsidizing 100% of irrigation water - water against production, will bring the agricultural industry to light, making it predictable and competitive to agricultural producers from other member states of the European Union.
4. Providing the “Amelioration“ Agency possibility of building and licensing irrigation water wells.
If these changes are implemented within a five-year period, irrigation in the country could reach 7 million actually irrigated acres, which, in addition to food sovereignty, will lead to direct and indirect revenues in the budget of about 2-3 billion leva per year.
And one more thing. During the irrigation season 2023 and 2024, a similar measure was in effect under the so-called “Ukrainian aid“, and for this period there was no significant increase in irrigated areas. At the moment, “Irrigation Systems“ EAD actually supplies water for irrigation to 0.7% of the arable land in the country, for comparison, this percentage before 1989 was 30%.