Farmers paid $1.5 bln in assistance in 8 years: Gov’t

ANKARA

Turkish farmers have been paid a total of 1.25 billion euros ($1.5) billion in assistance over the last eight years as part of a project in cooperation with the European Union, Agriculture Minister Bekir Pakdemirli has said.

As part of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance Rural Development (IPARD) Program, 14,476 agricultural projects have been supported since 2012, Pakdemirli said.

“With the contributions of Turkey and the European Union, 10,653 projects were given a total of 1.05 billion euros [$1.27 billion] under the IPARD I program implemented between 2012 and 2016, and as part of the IPARD II program, 3,823 projects have received 206 million euros [$250 million] grant support so far,” the minister said.

Pakdemirli noted that the National Rural Network (UKA), founded in 2017 as part of the IPARD program, has been helping to implement rural development programs more effectively.

The minister is expected to make the opening speech of the UKA congress today.

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Faruk Kaymakcı and Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, who is the head of the EU Delegation to Turkey, will also attend the two-day event.

The list of UKA congress speakers includes municipality officials, academics, nongovernmental organization executives and representatives of cooperatives and local associations.

Over 40 rural development investment projects will be promoted at the congress, according to a statement.