Filenews 22 March 2025
Do bananas, potatoes and clover drink more water, or do citizens, who are being asked to make savings, given the drought we are experiencing?
The numbers give their own answer based on the data. To cultivate kolokashi on a dozen acres of land, 2,325 tons of water are needed, while 1,245.03 tons of water are needed to grow clover. Growing bananas on a tenth of land requires 1,217 tons of water.
Citizens believe that the calls to save water are in the right direction, but they indicate that the quantities that a family consumes all year round are much smaller than the quantities that are channelled into many of the crops.
It is worth noting that many of the crops may be irrigated by boreholes, but the agricultural sector continues to consume about 70% of Cyprus' water resources over time.
It is also noted that a family, depending on its size, consumes an average of 20-40 cubic meters per two months, i.e. between 120-240 tons per year. At the same time, about 400 tons of water are consumed for the production of about three tons of potatoes per year, on average. In addition to potatoes, the majority of which are consumed, there are other types of products whose quantities remain unsold, which refers to water waste.
But what is the situation with the quantities of water that various products and crops in general need? According to the Institute of Agricultural Research, the situation is as follows, although it must be said that some farmers use more water than recommended by the Institute.
For spring potatoes, 299 tons per tenth are used (1,000 square meters, which is less than a staircase with an area of 1,338 square meters). For autumn potatoes, 502.22 tons of water are used. As farmers have told us, between 2,500-3,500 kilograms (2.5-3.5 tons) of potatoes can be produced in a dozen pieces of land. In general, about 130-150 liters of water are required to produce one kilogram of potatoes.
For lettuce 344.57 tons per tenth are used, for field cucumbers, in the period April-July 447.80 tons are used and for greenhouse cucumbers (February-May and October-December crops) 584.15 tons of water are used.
For watermelons from April to August, 480.74 tons of water are used and for citrus fruits (March-November period) 774.59 tons of water are used.
For tomatoes in the April-September period, 620.48 tons of water are used per ten, while for greenhouse tomatoes, for the period January-June- and October-December, 741.50 tons of water are available.
To grow avocados in the March-November period, 774.59 tons of water are needed. Artichokes of the March-April and August-November period need 449.65 tons of water and almonds 335.85 tons of water.
Maize for the April-August period needs 527.10 tons of water and table olives 414.93 tons for the April-October period. Carrots in the March-May and October-November period need 429.19 tons while the zucchini in the April-August period need 480.74 tons of water.
Fresh broad beans need 222.95 tons of water, August-November cauliflower needs 284.45 tons of water while early cauliflower needs 525.13 tons for the June-October period. Common rapeseed needs 271.38 tonnes and early rapeseed 525.13 tonnes (June-October period).
Green beans need 580.33 tons of water in the March-July period, beans 446.91 tons in the July-October period, pistachios 505.32 tons in the April-September period and, finally, the Aleppo 335.60 tons in the June-September period.
The calculation of the water needs of the various crops was done by the Institute of Agricultural Research.
Abundant tons of water required
Dried onions (March-June period) need 350.97 tons of water, while spring onions 375.28 tons for the September-November period. Lettuces need 344.57 tons (September-November period), eggplants 566.49 tons (April-October period), fruit trees in mountainous areas need 646.30 tons of water (May-September period), fruit trees in lowland areas need 774.95 tons of water for the May-September period, peppers 527.29 tons in the April-September period and turnips 426.60 tons in the period March-June and September-November. Melons need 491.15 tons in the May-August period, celery 443.03 tons for the September-November period and table grapes 293.92 tons in the April-June period.
