Membership relations between Turkey and the European Union have been ongoing for many years. Agricultural policies and promoting agricultural development are among the topics discussed. The IPARD program provided by the European Union to Turkey is very important in this respect. Because supporting agricultural activities and developing marketing capabilities are issues that should be given priority for the country’s economy.
This support program is among the policies, including special grant support to develop rural areas and ensure adequate production. For those curious about the IPARD expansion, we can share it as Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance in Rural Development. Its Turkish abbreviation is translated as Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, Rural Development.
What is IPARD?
Before mentioning the importance of the IPARD program, it will be useful to explain what IPARD is. The European Union established it to support candidate and potential candidate countries. It has been planned as a Rural Development Programme. It is implemented by the Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution (ARDSI) and consists of grants. It is a program that supports small businesses and interested individuals.
In this respect, ARDSI’s mission is to ensure that the resources provided by the EU and international organizations are used in activities to implement rural development programs in our country. The institution is the only institution in our country accredited by the EU and authorized to use the budget foreseen by the EU for the candidate and potential candidate countries.
In the ARDSI IPARD program, support for machinery and equipment purchases and expenditures for some agricultural machinery and equipment determined in rural areas are financed as grants. There are some criteria for applying to IPARD programs.
However, it is very important to complete the preparations for the project to be applied for. Well, what is the purpose of this program, we share it, especially for a better understanding of its importance.
- Contributing to Turkey’s preparation process for implementing the Common Agricultural Policy and the relevant achievements in the EU accession process.
- Supporting rational, sustainable, and inclusive growth through the development of physical capital
- To ensure the efficient use of resources and the dissemination of renewable energy
- Improving the overall performance of agricultural enterprises and increasing their competitiveness, including their marketing competencies
- To comply with EU standards on issues such as environmental protection and animal welfare
- Improving the quality of life in rural areas and reducing regional inequalities
- Creating opportunities for new job opportunities,
- Increasing economic activity in rural areas by providing employment and preventing the decrease of rural population.
IPARD Support Programs
IPARD program implements grant programs for many sub-branches of the agricultural sector in investment projects. What are the subjects (measures) covered by the Rural Development Grants Supports, we can list them as follows:
- Agricultural enterprises producing milk
- Agricultural enterprises producing meat
- Agricultural enterprises producing poultry meat
- Agricultural enterprises producing eggs
- Processing and marketing of milk and dairy products
- Processing and marketing of meat and meat products
- Processing and marketing of fruits and vegetables
- Processing and marketing of seafood
- Diversification of herbal production, processing, and packaging of herbal products
- Production, processing, and packaging of beekeeping and bee products
- Craft and local produce businesses
- Rural tourism
- Renewable energy investments in machinery parks
- Aquaculture
Among the IPARD supports, the construction of cold storages related to the processing and marketing of fruit and vegetable products is also within the scope of the measures.
Eligibility Conditions for IPARD Support Programs
In Turkey, these support programs cover 42 cities. The area where production will be made and where the activity will be carried out must be one of these 42 cities. The most important question for those who want to benefit from support is who can benefit from it. Real and legal persons can apply and benefit from the IPARD program.
The applicant must be at least 18 years old and not over 65 years old. There is an important criterion for legal entities. Those with more than 25% public shares cannot apply. However, applicants must continue their investments for 5 years after the end.
Eligible expenditures have also been determined within the scope of IPARD programs. Accordingly, this includes constructing and improving immovable property, excluding acquisition. These expenses include the purchase of new machinery and equipment, investments for farm activities, investments in renewable energy facilities, consultancy, and business plan preparation.
Those who want to apply to IPARD support programs should follow the Application Call Announcement. The application period specified when the advertisement is published must be considered.
If you have an application plan, you can apply to the Provincial Coordinatorships of the Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution in your province after the announcement. Acceptance rates for these projects may vary according to the projects that meet the eligibility conditions.
IPARD Programs and Freeze Dry
It is known that 50-65% of grant financing support is provided for agricultural-food products within the scope of the European Union (IPARD) support implemented in Turkey. In addition, 50% grant support is given by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry within the scope of Supporting Rural Development Investments (KKYDP).
It should be noted that there are differences between IPARD and KKYDP projects in practice. However, minimizing the investment costs for each project and developing efficient and economic projects provide great benefits to the country’s economy.
The contribution of Freeze Dry machines to the agricultural sector is quite large. There are some purposes that are taken as a basis within the scope of IPARD support. Here are these specific purposes:
- Reducing post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables
- Developing the capacities of cold storage and drying facilities
- Advantageous for businesses to comply with EU standards
- Elimination of environmentally polluting production processes
Regarding the question of why freeze dry, the freeze dry method is quite suitable for these purposes. The Freeze dryer makes it possible to dry foods using the most advanced and healthy technology. With Liyolife freeze dryer products, fresh foods are dried without losing their nutritional value. The shelf life of foods dried by this method is very high.
Freeze-dried products are easy to market, hassle-free storage. It also provides healthy and sustainable storage conditions for many of the programs covered by these support programs. In this respect, you can examine Liyolife Freeze Dryer and its equipment for your business and benefit from the most suitable products for your investment.
You can reach our previous article from https://liyolife.com/en/health-advantages-of-freeze-drying-method/
