MOSCOW (Commodity Online) : After witnessing the worst drought in its recent history, Russia is now planning to invest more in to agriculture sector and particularly to irrigation.

Russia’s agriculture has traditionally had little emphasis on irrigation, relying on generally reliable rains, across a nation pockmarked by dams and lakes, and crossed by thousands of rivers.

However, Russia’s dry spell and poor harvest may have an upside for the country's farmers and the drought of 2010 has underlined the fact that country’s abundant water resources can’t be used effectively to ensure reliable agriculture.

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Irrigation has helped power agricultural powerhouses such as Australia and the US over the past 100 years.

The summer drought has added to calls that it could be doing more for Russian agriculture too. Russian president Medvedev urged officials to revive an irrigation system which was wide-spread in the Soviet Union

Russia irrigates just 8% of its land, compared with 40% in the U.S and 80% in the United Kingdom. Irrigation not only helps the harvest but also reduces the risks for investors.

Analysts say, relying purely on the weather caused Russia to lose one third of its harvest, with the total damage to agriculture estimated at $1.5 billion.

But they also note that if irrigation can transform a dry nation such as Australia into a global agricultural powerhouse, it could also be a key part of turning the far richer soils of Russia into a more productive agricultural industry.

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