EBRD supports Yayla Agro’s inclusive, green growth

• EBRD lending up to €60 million to Yayla Agro, a leading Turkish food producer
• Project will support circular economy and boost youth employability
• Niğde facility will drive exports and value added production

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a loan of up to €60 million to Yayla Agro Gıda, one of Türkiye’s leading food producers, to support the company’s green and inclusive roadmap at its newly opened facility in Niğde.

Yayla Agro is a longstanding client of the EBRD and a major player in Türkiye’s food value chain, producing pulses, rice, bulgur, ready to eat meals and innovative value added food products.

The Niğde facility represents a major step in the company’s transformation, integrating advanced processing technologies across freeze drying, gluten free pasta and high nutrition product lines.

As part of the investment, Yayla Agro will establish an on-site agri-tech incubation and skills centre to foster inclusive growth. Furthermore, the project will help to advance gender equality in the company’s operations through the strengthening of recruitment practices, workplace policies and opportunities for women.

The project will also deliver environmental benefits through a comprehensive circular economy model at the Niğde facility, reducing reliance on primary agricultural production and substantially cutting greenhouse gas emissions and water usage.

Wojtek Boniaszczuk, Head of Transactions in the EBRD’s Food and Agribusiness team, said: “This investment deepens our longstanding partnership with Yayla Agro and supports a major Turkish company as it scales up innovative, value added food production. By combining green technologies, the development of youth skills and stronger gender practices, this project will help to set industry standards for sustainable and inclusive growth.”

Hasan Gümüş, Yayla Agro’s founder and Chairman, said: “Working with a respected institution like the EBRD provides us with financial resources, as well as enhanced brand reputation and corporate governance. By leveraging collaboration with the EBRD, technology and innovation, we aim to create resilient, nutritious, inclusive and circular food systems for this and future generations.”

The EBRD is one of Türkiye’s largest institutional investors, with over €23 billion committed across more than 500 projects since 2009, the majority in the private sector.