The UAC Andrii Dykun and members of the organization Serhii Rybalko and Volodymyr Khvostov took part in a round table "Problems of irrigation reform in Ukraine" held by the Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy of the Verkhovna Rada in Chulakivka village as a part of the Potato Day in Kherson region.

The event was held with the participation of Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Roman Leshchenko, deputies, local authorities and agricultural producers. It was dedicated to the development of irrigation in Ukraine. In particular, the adoption of the basic bill 5202-d " On Water Users' Organizations and Stimulation of Hydrotechnical Land Reclamation".

The UAC Chairman Andrii Dykun mentioned the importance of this event, the fact that the issue of irrigation, in particular the adoption of a bill on the establishment of Water Users' Organizations, is on the political agenda. Despite the fact that the document is supported by agricultural producers, international organizations, the relevant committee and the ministry, the Verkhovna Rada failed it in vote twice.

"The draft law on WUOs was made extremely difficult. Specialists from the advisory center “Smart Country”, USAID’s Agricultural Growing Rural Opportunities Activity in Ukraine - AGRO, and the Institute of Water Problems and Land Reclamation of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine worked on it. Today, the document has been supported by the farmers’ community, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, the State Agency of Water Resources of Ukraine, the Association of PU “Water Users’ Organization” and international financial organizations. The President of Ukraine personally gave a task to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to launch pilot irrigation projects in the South of Ukraine this year. But we have a paradoxical situation: a bill that shifts the issue, launches Water Users’ Organizations, restores land reclamation and helps attract investment in its development, is failed by Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine twice. With the help of clear position of the Agrarian Committee, the bill is sent for a second reading. We have no time to procrastinate," the UAC Chairman said.

The UAC participant Volodymyr Khvostov (the Chairman of LTD “Agroproduct”) shared his own experience of building an irrigation system from the beginning and its results. In the village of Novonatalivka, (Kakhovka district) he has implemented a project of building a private pumping station. In less than a year, the farmer made an irrigation on an area of ​​956.67 hectares. The project costs UAH 46 million hryvnas.

"I dared to do this and got only benefits. Also, I can say from my own experience: we have prospects to restore irrigation, but only together with the authorities. And the bill №5202-d is one of the best ways. After all, the positive point in the document is that WUAs can not only use their money, but also can attract investors and win grants for the repair of pumping stations and the construction of new irrigation. It is very important for us, in particular, to show the significance of this document to the Verkhovna Rada through today's event. I believe that the government and business should work as a team, as allies who have a common interest - to build a successful Ukraine," Volodymyr Khvostov said.

Myths related to the creation and operation of WUOs were dispelled by Serhii Rybalko, a member of the UAC and head of the AE “Adelaida”. In particular, that some farmers may be left without water for irrigation if they do not want to join WUOs

"Everyone who is in the irrigation area has the right to be a member of WUOs. But even if someone does not want to, but needs water, then the WUO provides water supply services for irrigation to this person at the rate set by the WUO and according to the water distribution schedule. According to the law, no one can deny anyone access to water if the person is in a WUOs’ area. This is a very important point, which is often speculated on," the farmer said.

A statement that large agricultural producers will bring WUOs under their ownership through the voting system is also a manipulation.

"The decision-making system, set out in the draft law on WUOs is really difficult. But it is made to keep the balance and reach a compromise. According to the bill, one land user has one vote in the WUO, regardless of how much land he cultivates. This is the main vote. There are additional votes that are distributed among WUOs’ members according to the area of ​​cultivated land. At any meeting, the decision is voted on, in fact, twice. The first time - everyone's vote is counted and the decision is made according to the majority voted for him. The second time they vote with the help of additional votes - WUOs’ members with the largest land plots should vote. As a result, if the decision does not meet the interests of small agricultural producers, they will not vote for the first time and the decision will not be made. And if it is not beneficial to the big ones, they will not support it when voting for the second time. This is the balance and compromise on which the decision will be made in the WUOs," Serhii Rybalko explained.

Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Roman Leshchenko assured the participants of the round table that the bill 5202-d will be adopted this year.

"Till the end of the year, we have the opportunity to launch the work of WUOs," the minister said.

The round table was also attended by Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy Stepan Cherniavskyi, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Improving the Structure of Public Administration in the Agro-Industrial Complex of the Committee Oleh Tarasov, Committee Member Serhii Lytvynenko, First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Taras Vysotskyi, First Deputy Head of the State Agency of Water Resources of Ukraine Oleksii Kuzmenkov, Head of the Kherson Regional State Administration Serhii Kozyr, Head of the Kherson Regional Council Oleksandr Samoilenko, Director of the Institute of Water Problems and Land Reclamation NAAS Mykhailo Romashchenko, Consultant of the International Financial Corporation IFC Ukraine's Anna Klymenko, as well as irrigation experts and representatives of local agricultural producers.