The choice of the project’s location was determined by the logistics of water intake and the unreliable nature of natural moisture supply to the fields in the Podnistrovye region. According to Kostiantyn Shytiuk, Chief Operating Officer of Continental Farmers Group, the issue of irrigation is becoming increasingly relevant for western Ukraine, where such practices were not typical.
“Our region has always been considered an area with sufficient moisture and an even distribution of precipitation throughout the year. However, the situation has changed, and recently we have been observing a sharp shift in natural and climatic zones. Consequently, the risks of crop failure due to drought during critical stages of plant development are becoming extremely high, while demand is growing for high-margin and capital-intensive crops that require a guaranteed and constant supply of moisture,” comments Kostiantyn Shytiuk. “In particular, this includes corn for seed production; therefore, seed breeders working with hybrid corn require that seed material be grown exclusively under irrigation with strict adherence to technological protocols.”
The development of its own irrigation infrastructure serves a dual economic purpose for Continental: to ensure high-margin production on specific plots of land, as well as to gain access to the buyback program—an additional discount on seed purchases as part of its partnership with the seed company.
Capital expenditures for the irrigation project amount to approximately $2,500 per hectare. For irrigation, Continental uses classic American-made remote-controlled circular sprinklers, which were purchased for both phases of the project.