SuperAgronom.com: Контінентал запроваджує крапельний полив на полях Тернопільщини

“>

Photo: Continental Farmers Group

“Continental Farmers Group” has launched an investment project for irrigation. In the current season, the irrigated area of the first phase is 202 hectares in the south of Ternopil region. By 2027, it will increase by more than half – to 420 hectares.

This was reported by the company’s press service.

Currently, “Continental” is using irrigation for growing seed corn under a contract with the originator. The company views this project as a long-term investment and does not rule out the possibility of growing other crops under irrigation in the future.

The choice of the project’s location is due to the logistics of water intake and the unstable nature of natural moisture supply to the fields in the Dniester region.

According to Kostiantyn Shytiuk, Operational Director of “Continental Farmers Group,” the issue of irrigation is becoming increasingly relevant for the western part of Ukraine, where such practices have not been typical.

“Our region has always been considered a zone with sufficient moisture and uniform rainfall distribution throughout the year. However, the situation has changed, and recently we have observed a sharp shift in natural and climatic zones. Consequently, the risks of crop failure due to drought during critical plant development phases are becoming too high, and the demand for highly profitable and capital-intensive crops that require guaranteed and constant moisture supply is growing. This includes, in particular, seed corn, and therefore, seed originator companies working with hybrid corn require seed material to be grown exclusively under irrigation with strict adherence to technological protocols,” comments Kostiantyn Shytiuk.

As noted by the company, the creation of its own irrigation infrastructure has a dual economic purpose: to ensure highly profitable production on designated areas and to gain access to the buyback program – an additional discount on seed purchases within the framework of cooperation with the originator.

The capital expenditures for the irrigation project implementation are approximately $2.5 thousand per hectare. For irrigation, “Continental” uses classic American-made circular sprinkler machines with remote control, purchased for both phases of the project.