FirstFarms launches 1,300 ha irrigation system in Romania

The irrigation system comprises 22 pivot points, as each pivot has a length of 150 to 650 metres and the longest units irrigate more than 130 ha each, FirstFarms said in a press release on Tuesday.

The irrigation system required extensive construction work. Three pumps were built to bring water from the Danube over a distance of 100 km. The system is also equipped with solar panels and with a fiber network that enables smart control.

"In recent years, we have experienced longer and longer periods of highly variable precipitation. This has had an impact on both quality and yield. The new irrigation system will therefore have a great positive effect on our crop production. For example, this year we expect to harvest 15 tonnes of maize per hectare under irrigation. In 2023, we harvested 4 tonnes of maize per hectare due to limited rainfall," FirstFarms CEO Anders Norgaard said.

The company plans to expand its footprint to up to 7,000 ha of irrigated land in Romania.

FirstFarms is a public limited company which invests in agriculture and land in Eastern Europe. The company purchases and modernises farming companies in order to optimize their operations in terms of competitiveness of the price and quality of their produce. It has been listed on NASDAQ Copenhagen since December 2006.

(1 Danish krone = 0.1341 euro)