An IPARD protocol covering support for rural agriculture and cooperation on projects was signed between the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) and the Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution (TKDK). The protocol, signed by MÜSİAD President Mahmut Asmalı and TKDK Acting President Dr. Ahmet Abdullah Antalyalı, will also cover MÜSİAD's Branches and Representative Offices.
The signing ceremony of the cooperation protocol between MÜSİAD and TKDK, which promotes EU Projects and rural development and serves to inform MÜSİAD Members about IPARD Supports, took place at the MÜSİAD Head Office. In addition to MÜSİAD President Mahmut Asmalı and TKDK Acting President Ahmet Abdullah Antalyalı, MÜSİAD Board of Directors Members and the TKDK Delegation took part in the ceremony that was held.
In his speech at the ceremony MÜSİAD President Mahmut Asmalı underlined TKDK's applications and investments and said, “We are very pleased that a cooperation protocol has been signed between MÜSİAD and TKDK. It is very important for us that our members are informed about and encouraged towards the IPARD projects that TKDK has opened for application and issued calls for. TKDK, which to date has already signed off on more than 25 thousand projects and made investments with grants exceeding TRY 95 billion, will together with MÜSİAD also contribute to employment.
We attach importance to the cooperation agreement signed between us and TKDK, which to date has had more than 6 thousand women and more than 13 thousand young investors. The support MÜSİAD gives to its youth and women structures, to entrepreneurship and to innovation will grow even stronger by combining with TKDK. At the same time, of course, we too will give TKDK a place in the organizations and activities we hold, enabling them to provide investors with detailed information about European Union Rural Development Supports. I hope that this cooperation protocol, which also covers MÜSİAD Branches, will be a means of good things.” he said.
TKDK Acting President Ahmet Abdullah Antalyalı, for his part, expressed in the statement he made at the ceremony that the protocol signed with MÜSİAD will add strength to Türkiye.
In his statement Antalyalı used the following expressions:
“As the Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution, the IPARD Program supports that we have implemented since 2011 in 42 of our provinces with the financial resources provided by the European Union and the co-financing of our country began, as of 2024 and as a result of the intensive efforts of our Ministry, to be implemented in 81 of our provinces after being negotiated with the European Commission. The basic aim of the grant supports provided by our institution is the establishment of modern enterprises at EU standards in the agriculture and food sectors in our country. TKDK, which contributes to agriculture-industry integration, has been instrumental in strengthening a high value-added production infrastructure and in the creation of new employment areas, and has supported the provision of 101,900 jobs.
In order to bring the investments of women and young people to the fore, additional points are given in project selection, and for young investors (under the age of 40) the grant rate in livestock projects is raised up to %70. With the protocol we will sign today, in the coming period we will find the opportunity to carry out closer cooperation with our provincial Coordinatorships located in 42 provinces and our representative offices in 39 newly opened provinces, together with the MÜSİAD Branch presidencies.”
