What Is IPARD?
IPARD is the Rural Development component of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, established by the European Union (EU) to support candidate and potential candidate countries. The programme, whose English name is "Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance Rural Development", is called the IPARD programme, formed from the initials of the words that make up this name.
IPARD is a financial support mechanism that aims to support alignment preparations for the implementation and management of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy, Rural Development Policy and related policies, and policy development in this context. Its main objective is to modernise the agricultural sector in Türkiye, increase farmers' income, develop rural infrastructure and encourage sustainable agricultural practices.
How Does the Project Support Process Work?
Within the framework of the IPARD programme, the stages of project support are summarised below:
1. Application and Project Preparation:
Potential applicants (natural persons, legal entities and producer organisations) should develop their project ideas by taking into account the IPARD programme and the application call guides published in previous calls for the sector in which they intend to invest. At this stage, they need to make the necessary preparations before the call.
2. Application Process:
After TKDK launches a project call, the applicant prepares the project application file in consideration of the current call guide and documents on which the call is based. In order to apply between the specified dates, applicants first submit their electronic applications using the TKDK Online Application system. Then, the Application Package prepared by printing out this online application is submitted to the relevant Provincial Coordination Office of TKDK.
3. Evaluation and Selection:
After the application period ends, application packages first undergo an administrative check. The Project Application Management Unit within the Provincial Coordination Offices checks the validity and eligibility of the official documents in the package. The technical and field checks of files that have completed the administrative eligibility check are carried out by the On-the-Spot Control Units of the Provincial Coordination Offices. Application packages whose procedures have been completed are forwarded to the TKDK headquarters. The TKDK headquarters carries out the business plan analyses. Projects that are entitled to receive support by the Project Evaluation and Selection Committee are announced on the official website of TKDK.
4. Signing of the Contract:
Project applicants who are entitled to a contract are invited to the relevant Provincial Coordination Office, and a contract concerning the details of the project is signed. Applicants who sign the contract are referred to as "beneficiaries" in the subsequent processes.
5. Project Implementation and Payment:
After the contract is signed, beneficiaries start implementing the project in accordance with the specified period and conditions. At this stage, regular monitoring and reporting processes are carried out. Beneficiaries who complete the investment prepare a Payment Request Package containing payment documents, official documents and other documents, and submit it to the relevant institution. After the submitted package passes administrative and field checks, they receive the grant payment at the rate specified in the contract.
6. Monitoring and Evaluation:
After the beneficiary completes the investment and receives the final payment, a 5-year monitoring period begins. During this period, business visits and inspections are carried out at regular intervals by the Provincial Coordination Office On-the-Spot Control Unit. The supported enterprise is required to remain operational throughout these 5 years and to retain the expenditure items for which it received support.
7. Closure of the Project:
When the 5-year monitoring period ends, the project is closed. At this stage, the official relationship between the beneficiary and the institution ends.
In Which Provinces Is the IPARD Programme Implemented?
Under the IPARD III programme, support is provided in all 81 provinces.