The Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine has published a draft order proposing to approve the average norm of water consumption for irrigation needs at the level of 3,000 cubic meters per hectare.
The ministry explained that actual water consumption norms for irrigation in Ukraine vary significantly depending on the region, climatic conditions, crops, and watering methods, and can range from 1,500 to over 6,000 cubic meters per hectare per season.
The proposed indicator of 3,000 cubic meters per hectare, according to the ministry’s assessment, corresponds to the average water requirement values of the main irrigated crops in the steppe zone and is close to the calculated indicator for Odesa region based on the results of 2025, which amounted to 3,576 cubic meters per hectare.
The draft order was developed pursuant to the law on improving the management of reclamation systems, adopted in February 2026, which authorized the ministry to determine the average norm of water consumption for irrigation.
