40hp+ tractors show a 4.1% lift in sales on year
40hp+ tractors show a 4.1% lift in sales on year
By Andy Moore
TRACTORS over 40hp registered in the first nine months of this year totalled 9127 units, a rise of 4.1% compared with same period last year.
Good news as this may be for the industry, it is worth recalling that monthly sales remain at rock bottom levels.
Still, an increase is an increase and one which could conceivably mark a turning point in the fortunes of the industry.
AEA economist Chris Evans says there are no clear reasons why sales have increased. But he points out that a significant number of tractors were sold in the mid-1990s and these may now be nearing the end of their working life.
At the start of the year when foot-and-mouth took hold, the AEA and the trade predicted tractor sales would struggle to reach the 8000-unit mark.
Now Mr Evans believes that, if tractor sales continue to rise as they have done for the past four months, total registrations could top 1100 by the end of the year. *
Tractor registrations for the month of September totalled 1291 units – an increase of 8.8% on the same month last year.