The LEADER Approach event of the IPARD III program was held in Ankara with the participation of Minister Yumaklı.
In his speech here, Yumaklı stated that today they not only announced grants but also activated the potential of villages and towns across Anatolia, saying: “Under the IPARD III program, we are offering a huge support package of 35 million euros to our 155 local action groups. I would particularly like to emphasize that this package is the most concrete sign of our confidence in our local dynamism and commitment to rural development.” he said.
Pointing out that rural development is not just a matter of agricultural production, Yumaklı said that in the vision of the Turkish century, rural areas are a habitat where economy, social fabric, ancient culture, environment and trained workforce merge.
IPARD support covered 81 provinces
Emphasizing that they are guided by an understanding focused on production and people in the IPARD adventure, Yumaklı said: “With the strength we received from the IPARD I and II processes that we successfully completed in 42 provinces, today we are proud to have expanded the IPARD III program to all 81 provinces.
Yumaklı emphasized that the state supports producers at every step, pointing out that the numbers are the most concrete indicator of determination in each situation. Yumaklı pointed out that last year they transferred a total of 706 billion lira to the sector with direct supports, agricultural frost compensation, investment incentives, loans and indirect supports, and continued as follows:
“In 2026, we will have allocated a record budget of 938 billion lira to the sector, from irrigation investments to credit subsidies. On the other hand, over the last 23 years, we have significantly supported rural development with projects such as “IPARD”, “Rural Development Investments Program”, “Expert Hands” and “Young Farmer”. We have allocated 237 billion lira to 101,000 projects. In this way, 287,000 people will be supported. We created it.”
Stating that they have provided 47 billion lira grants to nearly 300,000 projects under “ORKÖY” for the development of forest villages, Yumaklı stated that these numbers are not just statistics, but the support they provide to Türkiye's food supply security and respect for the sweat of farmers.
“The LEADER approach has created a new development culture”
Stating that they have signed funding agreements for more than 27,000 projects under the IPARD-TKDK grants, Yumaklı said: “We have paid 129 billion liras in grants, enabled the realization of investments worth 273 billion liras, created more than 107,000 jobs, supported 14,000 young and more than 7,000 women entrepreneurs. We have provided half of the total support given to young and female entrepreneurs.” he said.
Yumaklı explained that they currently view rural development as a broad ecosystem in which not only farmers but also women's cooperatives, youth and renewable energy investors are active, and that a strong rural area means a strong Turkey. Yumaklı emphasized that the LEADER approach is one of the strongest reflections of this understanding in this area and said:
“We say that development is not written from the center, but is built locally. It is not possible to talk about sustainable development without a structure in which our local people, farmers, entrepreneurs, women and youth participate directly in this process. The LEADER approach has created a new development culture in which the public, private sectors and civil society act with common sense by bringing together local actors.”
Emphasizing that the approach in question is an effective tool that supports not only economic but also social and cultural development, Yumaklı stated that social solidarity is strengthened through local development strategies, local products have added value, cultural heritage is protected and rural tourism is developed.
“As part of IPARD III 2026, we will support 241 million euros”
Noting that the concrete results of local action groups have strong and multidimensional impacts in different regions of Türkiye, Yumaklı gave the following examples of these impacts:
“With the Engiz women's cooperative, which was implemented under the leadership of the local action group “May 19th” in Samsun, production, sales and marketing processes were supported and women's work was transformed into economic value. Thanks to the rafting activities developed with the support of the local action group “Espiye” in Giresun, our young people have achieved important achievements at national and international levels, and these efforts have also activated the region's tourism potential.”
Yumaklı, on the other hand, stated that through the work of the local action group Kızılhisar in Denizli, the added value of roasted chickpeas, the symbol of Serinhisar, has increased through innovative product development activities, that the music workshops set up in schools by the local action group Hilvan in Şanlıurfa have increased young people's access to art, and that products such as Hasenek molasses, Alaçam pita and Yatağan bones have been improved and comb and Çameli walnuts have been registered with geographical indications and added value thanks to the work of local action groups. he said. Yumaklı stated that they are confident that the 155 local action groups established will increase such success stories even more in the future and that they would like to spread the good news of many more local products:
“I also promise that we will continue to work on the nationwide dissemination of the LEADER measure. As part of the IPARD III 2026 tender calendar published last month, we will have provided a total of 241 million euros of support through TKDK, of which 85 million euros to our investors and 156 million euros to rural infrastructure projects. We believe that a rural structure that produces together, manages together and grows together will be one of the strongest foundations of our country.” As our President stated, we will be able to withstand all global challenges and climate change. “Despite the crisis, we have brought Türkiye to a strong position in agriculture.”
TKDK President Ahmet Abdullah Antalyalı stated that these investments are a very important support for them and said that as an institution they will continue to work to expand this support to larger areas.
After his speeches, Minister Yumaklı presented checks to the local action groups that were eligible for support.
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