Agriculture and rural development is a key sector in both social and economic terms. In 2014, it represented 7,1% of Turkey’s GDP. About a half of Turkey’s total land area is devoted to agriculture. Turkey is a major world producer and exporter in some sectors (e.g. fruits and vegetables, and nuts). However, major investment is needed to bring the sector up to the EU environmental and hygiene standards. On the other hand, the income of the labour employed remains at low levels and productivity is lower than the ones in the other sectors, contributing to migration from rural areas to urban centres. Social and economic development of rural areas continues to pose a major challenge.

Under the agriculture and rural development sector, IPA II will cover the acquis chapters 11 (Agriculture), 12 (Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary) and 13 (Fisheries). Alignment with the EU acquis in these chapters involves a large number of rules, regulations and directives. In terms of EU accession process, there has been a noticeable progress made in the Agriculture and Rural Development Sector. There has been achieved considerable progress in establishing various components of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and in alignment of targeted legislation for animal and plant health, information systems employed in agriculture, food safety, organic farming, rural development, veterinary and fisheries.

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The Agriculture and Rural Development Sector in Turkey is regulated by Agricultural Law (No 5488, 2006) which determines policies necessary for improvement and supporting the agricultural sector and the rural areas, and Law on Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed (No:5996, 2010) which aims to protect public health, consumer interests, food and feed safety, plant health, animal health and welfare, and  Law on Fisheries (No 1380, 1971) as the framework law which provides the basis for fisheries regulations, and secondary legislation enacted in accordance with these Laws.

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Related reforms in Turkey are guided by a number of national strategies. The 10th National Development Plan is the overarching strategy for reforms aiming at a well-organised, highly productive and competitive sector. The 2007-2013 National Rural Development Strategy and the 2007-13 Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance in Rural Development Programme (IPARD) focused on developing rural areas and meeting EU food safety standards. Moreover, 2013-17 Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock prioritises EU acquis alignment.

 

Institution and Capacity Building Sub-Sector

 

The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock is the lead institution in the Agriculture and Rural Development Sector. The MoFAL as the lead institution is responsible for the development of policies, and the preparation and enforcement of legislation in all areas of the sector. A statutory decree entered into force in 2011 regarding the restructuring of the MoFAL and it is an important step in developing administrative structures necessary to implement the related EU legislation. Thanks to the new administrative structure, MoFAL has now a much more contemporary framework to tackle the sector issues.

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Agriculture and Rural Development Sector is composed of two sub-sectors which are Rural Development and Institution and Capacity Building. For these sub-sectors, a total amount of 912,2 Million Euros have been allocated for the IPA II period. Of which 111,2 Million Euros is given to the Institution and Capacity Building sub-sector. The distribution of the fund through the years is indicated in the table below:

 

                                                                                                                                                          Million Euro
 

                                                      2014         2015         2016         2017          2018-2020           2014-2020

Agriculture and                            72.0         100.9         77.0          158.1              504.2                    912.2 Rural Development                                                 408.0                                       504.2                    912.2

 

The responsible body for the Institution and Capacity Building Sub-sector is the Directorate General of EU and Foreign Relations- Department of EU Harmonisation. The Department of EU Harmonisation is responsible for carrying out relations between European Union and ensuring coordination on the alignment with the relevant EU acquis.

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Activities listed in the Action Documents (2014 and 2015)

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In the 2014 Action Document, the Ministry has three activities with a total budget of 3.987.168 Euros. These activities are:

• Development of strategy for Alignment with Market Regulation (CMO)

• Capacity building for measure “Advisory services” under the IPARD II Programme

• Establishment of a Farm Advisory System (FAS) in Turkey

In the 2015 Action Document, the Ministry has four activities with a total budget of 35.687.500 Euros. These activities are:

• Control and prevention of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD)

• Oral vaccination against Rabies in Turkey

• Implementation of stock assessments in fisheries activities

• Improving the awareness of food processing sector and farmers in terms of EU environmental and hygiene standards and IPARD support