The Central Plains Water Company, which has just granted 31 consents for a large-scale irrigation scheme in Canterbury, hopes to get water to the first farms within the next two years.

But that will depend on finance and no further appeals by opponents.

Central Plains chair Pat Morrison says the planning process has taken more than five years at a cost of $10 million.

A large canal running between the Rakaia and Waimakariri rivers will  irrigate up to 60,000 hectares of farmland.