Within the scope of the IPARD III program carried out by the Agricultural and Rural Development Support Institution, a grant of 7.2 billion lira was provided to 1079 projects. According to information obtained from the ARDSI, the IPARD III program, led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s affiliated institution, has entitled 1079 projects to a total of 7.2 billion lira in grant support within a year. Under the jointly financed IPARD Program by Turkey and the European Union (EU), entrepreneurs in various sectors ranging from animal production to plant production, handicrafts to rural tourism, renewable energy to machinery parks are supported. Since 2011, when the IPARD Program was initiated by the ARDSI, Turkey has been ranked first among EU candidate countries due to the success of the IPARD I and IPARD II Program fund utilization rates. The provided support contributes significantly to the development of agricultural-industrial integration, the strengthening of high-value-added production infrastructure, and the creation of new employment opportunities in the country.

INCREASED DEMANDS EXPAND THE SCOPE
Until last year, investments with EU standards implemented through the IPARD Program in 42 provinces have generated significant demand in rural areas. As a result of negotiations between Turkey and the EU, the IPARD III Program, which began last year, was expanded to cover all 81 provinces. During this period, Turkey’s national contribution rate was increased from 25% to 50%, and the total budget of the IPARD-III Program, which will be implemented for 7 years from 2024 onwards, was raised from 555 million euros to 785 million euros. A BUDGET OF 251 MILLION EUROS ANNOUNCED
To accelerate the examination process of application reviews during the program period, an annual call calendar was published for the first time. In this context, 5 call announcements were made for a total budget of 251 million euros in areas such as physical assets of agricultural enterprises, fisheries, and organic farming. It has been approximately a year since the first call was made. When looking at the distribution of these projects, there are 396 beekeeping projects, 177 fruit-vegetable processing and storage facility projects, 147 rural tourism facility projects, 92 plant production projects, 88 crafts and high-value product production projects, 54 agricultural machinery park projects, 39 milk collection center projects, 32 milk processing center projects, and 54 projects in other sectors. Evaluations of the applications received within a year under the IPARD III Program have so far entitled 1079 projects to a total of 7.2 billion lira in grant support. While some of the projects are still in progress, contracts have been signed for 337 projects. Once these projects are completed, approximately 13 billion lira worth of investments will be added to the country’s economy, providing employment for thousands of individuals. When examining the top 5 provinces in terms of the number of projects entitled to support across the country, Ordu with 80 projects, Siirt with 56 projects, Diyarbakır with 51 projects, Şanlıurfa with 49 projects, and Erzincan with 38 projects stand out. In the 39 provinces where the program is being implemented, the top 5 provinces in terms of the number of projects entitled to support are Siirt with 56 projects, Bitlis with 22 projects, İzmir with 15 projects, Batman with 14 projects, and Muğla with 14 projects.

GRANTS UP TO 3 MILLION EUROS
Under the IPARD III Program, investments receive grant support ranging from 50% to 75%. The budget limits for supported projects vary according to the sector, ranging from 5,000 euros to 3 million euros. Positive discrimination is applied by the ARDSI to encourage more active participation of women and young people in agriculture and rural areas, aiming to further increase the economic contributions of these groups to the country.