The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending up to €60 million to Yayla Agro Gıda, one of Türkiye’s largest food producers, to support the company’s shift toward greener and more inclusive growth, the bank announced. The financing will help Yayla expand operations at its new high-tech food processing facility in Niğde while promoting women’s participation and environmental sustainability across the company.
Yayla Agro produces a range of staple and value-added food products, including pulses, rice, bulgur, and ready-to-eat meals. Its newly opened facility in Niğde marks a major move toward innovation, introducing advanced processing technologies for freeze-dried foods, gluten-free pasta, and high-protein, nutrient-rich products.
Under the new investment, Yayla Agro will also launch an on-site agri-tech incubation and skills centre to strengthen youth employment and foster inclusive growth in the agri-food sector. The programme will focus on supporting women’s participation through improved recruitment practices, workplace policies, and training opportunities.
The Niğde plant is built around a circular economy model designed to minimize waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water use by recycling and reusing production by-products.
“This investment deepens our longstanding partnership with Yayla Agro,” said Wojtek Boniaszczuk, Head of Transactions in the EBRD’s Food and Agribusiness team. “By combining green technologies with stronger gender and youth practices, this project sets a new benchmark for sustainable and inclusive growth in Türkiye’s food industry.”
Yayla Agro Chairman Hasan Gümüş said working with the EBRD would help the company strengthen its financial base while embedding sustainability and innovation in every step of its production.
“We want to create food systems that are resilient, nutritious, and circular—serving both current and future generations,” he said.
The EBRD remains one of Türkiye’s largest institutional investors, with more than €23 billion committed to over 500 projects since 2009—most of them supporting private-sector growth and sustainability.
