The IPARD III program, implemented by the Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution, provided a total of 7.2 billion lira in grant support to 1079 projects. Within the scope of the IPARD III program carried out by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s associated institution, the Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution (TKDK), 1079 projects earned the right to receive a total of 7.2 billion lira in grant support in one year. According to information obtained from the TKDK, entrepreneurs in various sectors, from animal production to plant production, handicrafts to rural tourism, renewable energy to machinery, are supported under the IPARD Program, jointly financed by Turkey and the European Union (EU). Turkey has been at the forefront among EU candidate countries thanks to the success of the IPARD I and IPARD II Programs’ fund utilization rates since 2011. The support provided contributes significantly to the development of agriculture-industry integration, strengthening the infrastructure for high value-added production, and the creation of new employment opportunities in the country. The EXPANDED SCOPE DUE TO INCREASED DEMAND Projects implemented in 42 provinces under the IPARD Program until last year, based on EU standards, created a significant demand in rural areas. Following discussions between Turkey and the EU, the IPARD III Program, which began last year, was expanded geographically to cover all 81 provinces. During this period, Turkey’s national contribution rate was increased from 25% to 50%, and the total budget for the IPARD-III Program, which will be implemented for 7 years starting in 2024, was raised from 555 million euros to 785 million euros. A 251 MILLION EURO BUDGET ANNOUNCEMENT In order to accelerate the review process of applications during the program period, an annual call calendar was published for the first time. Within this framework, 5 application calls worth a total of 251 million euros were made in areas such as physical assets of agricultural enterprises, fishing, and organic farming. It has been approximately a year since the first call was made. Looking at the distribution of these projects, there were 396 beekeeping projects, 177 fruit-vegetable processing and storage facility projects, 147 rural tourism facility projects, 92 plant production projects, 88 handicrafts and high value-added product production projects, 54 agricultural machinery park projects, 39 milk collection center projects, 32 milk processing center projects, and 54 projects in other sectors. Within one year of evaluating applications received under the IPARD III Program, so far, a total of 1079 projects have earned the right to receive 7.2 billion lira in grant support. While some of the projects are still in progress, contracts have been signed for 337 of them. Once these projects are completed, investments worth approximately 13 billion lira will be added to the national economy, creating employment opportunities for thousands of people at the same time. When looking at the top 5 provinces in terms of the number of projects eligible for support across the country, Ordu leads with 80 projects, followed by Siirt with 56 projects, Diyarbakır with 51 projects, Şanlıurfa with 49 projects, and Erzincan with 38 projects. In the 39 provinces where the program has been implemented, the top 5 provinces in terms of the number of projects eligible for 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 Within the framework of 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 TKDK to encourage the active participation of women and young people in agriculture and rural areas, aiming to further increase the economic contribution of this group to the country.