The Official State Gazette published this past weekend the three collaboration agreements signed on November 30 between the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) and the State Commercial Society of Agricultural Infrastructures (SEIASA) and which will involve mobilizing a public-private investment of 745 million euros in irrigation modernization projects in Spain, of which 52.08 million euros will go to three projects in La Rioja.
The first of these is the project of integral modernization of the irrigated area of the Najerilla Right-Bank Canal, in the municipality of Cenicero, which has an expansion of the initial budget by 1.33 million euros, from 5.51 to 6.85 million euros.
This increase is a consequence of the market situation and the generalized increase in the costs of raw materials, as well as the materials used in construction works, and in particular, those used in irrigation modernization projects, which have experienced in recent months strong price rises, compromising the viability of the actions, which makes it necessary to revise upwards the budgets of the scheduled works in order to adjust them to the market value.
The second of the projects concerns the modernization of the irrigation of the community of irrigators of Stretch II of the Channel of the Left Margin of the Najerilla, from 19.21 to 28.73 million euros.
This increase of 9.51 million euros is planned for a more efficient use of the funds and to achieve the complete modernization of the facilities of this community of water users.
Both projects are part of the Spanish Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), and are therefore funded by European Next Generation funds.
Mid-Lower Iregua Valley Irrigation
Finally, the signing of the third agreement between MAPA and SEIASA will allow to undertake a new project to improve and consolidate the irrigation of the Iregua Middle and Lower Valley, with a budget of 16.50 million euros.