The President of Aragon raised the modernization of irrigation to "sine qua non for the future"

The president of Aragon, Marcelino Churches, together with the adviser of Agriculture and Feeding, Gonzalo Arguilé, has inaugurated today the modernisation of regadíos promoted by the Community of Regantes Sodeto-Alberuela of Tube and Lalueza, to which has described as fruit of the collective effort. Churches has aimed that the modernisation of regadíos is an indispensable condition for the future and has remembered that it is one of the political prioritarias of the government of Aragon. Following this line of work, have modernizado 240.000 hectares of the 460.000 hectares of regadío of which has the Aragonese Community.

The work, executed by the Society of Aragonese Rural Infrastructures (Sirasa), has supposed the improvement of 3.072 hectares of corn, lucerne, sorgo, sunflower, rice and vegetables. A total of 282 regantes have seen benefited by this performance, that has required an investment of 23 million euros, the most elevated to date in the autonomous community in matter of modernisation. The Government of Aragon has supported the effort investor of the regantes with a subvention that reaches 65% of the cost of the work. That is to say,  15 million euros. In concrete, Sirasa has increased the capacity of regulation, of filtered and, by means of the telecontrol installed, has happened to a network of distribution to pressesure automated. All this facilitates the irrigation by aspersión, avoids losses of water and achieves a greater efficiency of the system and an improvement in the standard of living of the users.

In the last 10 years, the global investment in modernisation of regadío in Aragon surpasses the 500 million euros, of which 290 millions correspond to public financials, well of the autonomic Executive or of the Ministry of Environingingment, Half Rural and Marino. The rest of the investment has been contributed by the regantes. These performances allow a greater profitability of the agricultural exploitations at the same time that it realizar a more rational use and efficient of the water. The regadío supposes almost 10% of the total surface of the autonomous community and 19,6% of the useful agricultural surface.