Agriculture Ministry: Irrigation Systems and Water Will Remain State Property

Bratislava, 11 September (TASR) - The Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry has rejected opposition claims that the government is about to hand over control of hydrotechnical melioration systems including irrigation water into foreign hands, adding that neither the water nor the infrastructure is being sold and that both will continue to be owned by the state, TASR has been told by the ministry's communications department, which responded to statements made by opposition MP Veronika Remisova ('Slovakia'-'For the People' caucus) on Thursday (10 September). The ministry considers an upgrade and the more efficient use of irrigation systems to be a key part of adapting Slovakia's agriculture sector to changing climate conditions. The goal is to increase the resilience of agricultural production against drought, to improve water management efficiency, and to support the long-term competitiveness of Slovak farmers. "The Slovak government is doing everything it can to ensure that hydrotechnical melioration systems serve their purpose not just on a few percent of the land, but throughout Slovakia, so that our water - the protection of which, I should point out, has been enshrined in the Constitution by the government led by Robert Fico (Smer-SD) - can be used to irrigate agricultural crops," stated Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD). On Thursday (10 September), Remisova said that Takac wants to increase water fees for farmers drastically and is continuing preparations for a deal with Arab sheikhs. According to her, it's outrageous that Fico and Takac are lying to the people of Slovakia while preparing, behind their backs, the hand-over of irrigation systems to Arab sheikhs and an increase in water fees. jrg/df