Republic of Türkiye Ministry Of Agriculture And Forestry
General Directorate of Agricultural Reform
I am IPARD beneficiary Mehmet Şahin Çetinkaya from Büyük Kabaca district of Isparta. I have been producing and selling apple for 35 years. I started this business by working in apple gardens and selling the fruits in market bazaar. I bought an orchard 12 years ago and started production. I produce 500 tons of apples annually and wanted to extend my business. I was thinking that I needed a cold storage to improve my business. In the beginning, I hesitated a bit in applying for IPARD support but after doing some research, I became more confident about the IPARD grant program. Then I applied to the Isparta Provincial Coordination Unit of ARDSI to take the advantage of this opportunity. I applied to IPARD for a 2,500 ton atmospheric storage. I have always made investment for 35 years, but within 2 years, thanks to the IPARD support, I achieved four times the total of my investments I made throughout my entire life. This region is worldwide known with apple production. Besides my own production, I also let other farmers use my cold storage for their products. However, there is still need for many more cold storage facilities in this region. I am planning to increase the capacity of my enterprise and generate renewable energy in the future. I also have investment plans for producing boxes and packaging materials as there is a need for them in the sector. Cold storage management is a business demanding much experience and knowledge. It should never be considered as a business which can be entered with eyes closed. I also would like to draw attention to own capital and recommend prospective investors to think about unexpected costs and business capital.
Republic of Türkiye Ministry Of Agriculture And Forestry
General Directorate of Agricultural Reform
Department of Managing Authority for EU Structural Adjustment
Eskişehir Road 9. Km,
ANKARA/TÜRKİYE
Website:
ipard.tarim.gov.tr
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