The new projects of the State Hydraulic Works will be constructed with a piped system, and old irrigation systems will be renewed. By increasing the usage rate of these systems, a significant amount of water savings will be achieved in agriculture. It is expected that next year, 120,000 hectares of land will be opened up for irrigation, reaching a total irrigation area of 7.32 million hectares.

The State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry aims to achieve water savings by implementing new projects constructed with a piped system and renewing old irrigation systems. According to the 2025 Presidential Annual Program, the role of efficient irrigation systems and techniques in this field has become important in order to increase food production by expanding irrigated agriculture. While the areas open to irrigation are expanding, measures are also being taken to ensure efficient water use in agriculture. In this context, old canal and channel irrigation systems are being renewed and transformed into closed system piped irrigation systems. A RENEWAL PROJECT ON 950 THOUSAND HECTARES As of the end of last year, the total number of storage facilities reached 1,744, and the number of irrigation facilities constructed and opened to operation by the DSİ reached 3,131. In the investment program, renewal works are carried out in an irrigation area of 261 thousand hectares covering a total of 89 irrigation facilities, while planning and project stages for renewal projects are ongoing in approximately 950 thousand hectares. TOTAL IRRIGATION AREA TO RISE With the efforts of the DSİ, it is anticipated that the construction of 58 storage facilities with a total storage capacity of 258 hectometers cubed will be completed this year, reaching an irrigated area of 7.2 million hectares. In the Medium-Term Program (OVP), as part of the high allocation of funds for the irrigation sector by the DSİ, it is expected that 120,000 hectares of land will be opened for irrigation next year, thus increasing the total irrigation area to 7.32 million hectares. By the end of last year, 31% of the irrigation systems developed by the DSİ consisted of traditional systems, 34% consisted of channel irrigation, and 35% consisted of piped systems. By the end of last year, meters were installed in 297 irrigation facilities, and this year, the completion of meter installation in an additional 80 facilities is planned. WATER SAVINGS WILL BE ENSURED It is aimed that the percentage of piped irrigation systems will be increased in the future with the construction of new projects by the DSİ and the renewal of old irrigation systems, thus ensuring significant water savings in agriculture. It is aimed to ensure effective water use and prevent excessive water use by pricing water use in agriculture based on methods that emphasize quantity. While research and development work on reusing wastewater for irrigation continues, it is aimed for these efforts to contribute to the effective and efficient use of water in agriculture by increasing the amount of savings obtained from irrigation water. In addition, new research and development activities related to rainwater harvesting and its use in irrigation have begun. These studies are planned to be expanded and continued in the upcoming period. The use of alternative water sources such as rainwater in irrigation is expected to provide significant benefits to the sustainable management of water resources. WATER RESOURCES CONSIDERED Water was also taken into account in the production planning adopted this year. In this framework, the production of each product in a region will be determined based on the water availability in that region. As part of support for methods that increase water efficiency, additional support is aimed to be provided for some products grown in regions with water constraints, thereby ensuring the sustainable use of groundwater resources.