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Diari de Catalunya

Garrigues Sud Seeks More Water to Boost Irrigation and Attract Young Farmers

The irrigation community plans to expand the irrigated area from 9,400 to 14,000 hectares over the next three decades to ensure the continuity of the olive oil sector.

Generic image of irrigation pipes in an agricultural field under the sun.
IA

Generic image of irrigation pipes in an agricultural field under the sun.

The Garrigues Sud irrigation community is finalizing its request to the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation (CHE) to increase its water concession, aiming to transform dryland into irrigated land and attract young farmers to the region.

This initiative responds to a growing demand for irrigated farms, with over fifteen farmers on a waiting list requesting approximately 100 hectares for cultivation. Currently, the irrigated area covers 9,400 hectares, distributed among Flix (in Tarragona, where the Ebro intake is located), Bovera, Bellaguarda, La Granadella, Els Torms, and Juncosa, with an allocation of 1,300 m³ per hectare per year.
The forecast is that the CHE will authorize an expansion of an additional 5,000 hectares, reaching 14,000 hectares in the next three decades, with 3,000 of these in the immediate years. Furthermore, there is a proposal to increase the water allocation to 1,500 m³ per hectare per year, a measure that irrigators consider "reasonable" for irrigating more land.

This will guarantee agricultural activity, allow farms to be offered to farmers who request them, and ensure stable olive production, thereby securing the activity of cooperatives and companies related to the olive oil sector, which will be able to provide more labor.

The irrigation community hopes its request will be included in the Ebro Hydrological Plan for the 2027-2033 period. Currently, they have 14 reservoirs with a storage capacity of 600,000 m³, and plan to build three more large ones. To optimize energy consumption, they have already installed three solar plants in Flix, Bovera, and Bellaguarda, with an investment exceeding 2 million euros, to power the water pumping systems.
In parallel, the land banks of Les Garrigues, both from the council and Garrigues Sud, have consolidated their work, jointly offering 170 hectares. The council's bank, in service since 2022, has offered 46 farms and currently has 34 offerors and 55 interested individuals.
Additionally, the Department of Agriculture has commissioned the company Tragsa to construct a permanent connection pipeline from the Garrigues Sud system to supply irrigation and drinking water to several towns in Tarragona, such as La Palma, Margalef, La Bisbal de Falset, La Figuera, La Vilella Baixa, and Cabacés, in the Priorat and Ribera d'Ebre regions. This measure, which was already applied during the 2022 and 2023 drought, will cost over 2.2 million euros and have an execution period of 13 months, according to Xavier Pelegrí, president of the irrigators.

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