This paper aims to evaluate the producers’ capacity of payment for bulk water in the public irrigation districts at Jaguaribe basin as well as for group of producers in each irrigation district, which carries out agriculture and cattle raising as main farm activities. This study also aims to give support to the State actions concerning building a matrix of bulk water tariff for this basin. The study area is the Jaguaribe basin in the State of Ceará. The data were of primary source, which were gathered by the application of 76 questionnaires. The method used to calculate the capacity of payment is based on the residual approach. The results showed that the producers’ total capacity of payment was R$ 46.57 by 1,000 m3. The Icó-Lima Campos irrigation district showed the lowest capacity of payment for bulk water, among the districts investigated. The Jaguaribe-Apodi irrigation district (DIJA) had the largest capacity of payment among all, in which fruit is the main product. The subset of fruit producers showed higher capacity of payment (R$ 103.67/1000m3), overcoming, in almost three times, the subset of grain and cattle producers (R$ 34.50/1000m3) as well as the grain producers alone (R$ 37.47/1000m3). Some producers showed net return covering the current tariff charged by COGERH, while others did not have enough capacity of payment for bulk water.