FAO Türkiye Deputy Representative Visits TARSİM on Climate
FAO Türkiye Deputy Representative Ayşegül Selişık met TARSİM's Bekir Engürülü on 11 June 2025 to discuss climate change, farming and agricultural insurance.
Ayşegül Selişık, Deputy Representative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Türkiye, met with Bekir Engürülü, a TARSİM (Türkiye's state-backed agricultural insurance pool) Board Member and General Manager of the Agricultural Insurance Pool Enterprise, on 11 June 2025.
The visit was held to address the effects of increasingly impactful climate change on agricultural activity in recent years and the role of agricultural insurance in sustainable farming. The meeting also exchanged proposals on ensuring food supply security and on areas for technical cooperation for sustainable agriculture.
Selişık and Engürülü stressed that joint work needed to continue in order to adapt to climate change and increase the sustainability of the agricultural sector. It was emphasised that such cooperation was important for the future of farming and for food security.
What does TARSİM do?
TARSİM is the pool structure that runs Türkiye's state-backed agricultural insurance system. Established under Law No. 5363 on Agricultural Insurance, enacted in 2005, the system began issuing its first policies in 2006. It provides cover against risks such as hail, frost, storm and flood across lines ranging from crops and greenhouses to cattle and sheep, aquaculture and beekeeping. Part of the premium is covered by the state; in the system, insurance companies issue policies on the same terms and transfer the risk to the pool. This structure has become one of the key tools protecting producer income stability at a time when climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent.
What does contact with FAO mean?
FAO is the United Nations body that provides technical support to governments and institutions on food security and sustainable agriculture. On climate change adaptation, agricultural insurance is among the leading risk management tools that international bodies focus on. The FAO representative's visit to TARSİM created a forum to discuss where Türkiye's state-backed system intersects with this global agenda.
Source: TARSİM's announcement of 11 June 2025; the visit was also reported by Anadolu Ajansı.