Skopje, 28 August 2022 (MIA) — Through capital investments into dams and irrigation systems, together with implementing national food production plan measures, the state will make sure every inch of arable agricultural land is used to increase local food production in times of crisis, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said at the launch of the small-scale irrigation system Slavishko Pole in the Municipality of Rankovce. PM Kovachevski, together with Ferruccio Bogo, Chargé d’affaires of the Delegation of the European Union, and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy Ljupcho Nikolovski, jointly marked the completion of the EU-funded irrigation system. According to the official press release, PM Kovachevski thanked the European Union Delegation on its financial support worth close to 1.8 million euros. The system was built as part of the IPA project for the construction of small-scale irrigation systems in several regions of the country, the total value of which is around 10 million euros. “The existing irrigation system was not functional, with a small irrigation capacity of only 40 hectares. The new system will irrigate 200 hectares of arable agricultural land, farmed by about 500 households from the villages of Psacha, Petralica and Ginovci,” Kovachevski said. He pointed out that the system would contribute to the rational use of water from the Kriva Reka, providing water for agricultural crops throughout the year and boosting production. “The end result is to provide as much food as possible, especially during a crisis,“ the prime minister said, adding that the Slavishko Pole system was just one of the many investments of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management. He recalled that the ministry in the past five years had made capital investments into dams and irrigation systems worth close to 230 million euros. He also said the country's first-ever national food production plan had been adopted to provide support to the agricultural sector in times of crisis. The measures are aimed at increasing local food production, Kovachevski said, stressing that in the medium term they should increase domestic wheat production by about 30,000 tons. He said this should significantly reduce the need of imports and, ahead of the expected difficult winter, supporting agriculture and managing the energy crisis would remain the top priorities of the Government. mr/