Agricultural machinery: poor market also in 2013

Closing data furnished by FederUnacoma signal a decline in tractor registrations, down 1.7%, transporters, off by 16.7%, and trailers, dropping 5.7%. Tractor sales in the Lombardy, Emilia Romagna and Puglia regions ran counter to this trend to show substantial gains. Also growing was the national average for combine harvester sales, ahead 13.9%. The president of the italian manufacturers federation, Massimo Goldoni, is asking for initiative policies to prop up the sector and for a focus of attention especially on the new agrienergy and multifunctional farming production chains

The tractor market ended 2013 in the red. The positive trend of registrations in the closing quarter of the year – especially in December when 1,347 units were registered compared to 998 in December 2012 – was not sufficient to buoy this mechanization sector into the black for the year. Sales have steadily declined since 2008 and last year sank to the historic low of 19,343 units sold. According to data based on registrations provided by the Ministry for Transport and elaborated by the manufacturers association FederUnacoma, a total of 19,017 units were registered for a 1.7% decline. Tractors with load beds or transporters fared less well in taking a drop of 16.7% with 946 units registered while trailers slipped by 5.7% with 9,704 units registered. On the other hand, the balance sheet for combines was positive, probably due in part to the drive provided by the requirement to harvest crops in the biomass production chain. These machines rose 13.9% based, however, on a limited number of units considered, 443 against 389 in 2012. A breakdown of the data according to geographic area disclosed position trends, running counter to the national picture, in such important farming regions as Lombardy, up 8.9%,  Emilia Romagna, ahead 7.8%, and Puglia, surging by 16.7%. On the negative side and below the national average were the regions of the Veneto, down 10%, Piedmont, off 5.4%, and Campania, falling 10.4%. FederUnacoma President Massimo Goldoni reported, “For some time now our federation has been at work on promoting support initiatives for the sector with an ample and detailed platform which includes, among other items, urgent action like giving contractors access to assets allocated for farming enterprises, support for mechanization linked to the new agrienergy production chains, better use of European Union funds written into Rural Development Plans, the RDPs, and the promotion of quality components for improving the performance of machinery and equipment in use on farms.” He went on to say, “The Fieragricola event coming up next 6 to 9 February in Verona that FederUnacoma in co-organizing with the Verona Trade Fair Agency will be an important showcase for stating our policy positions. In this setting, we will get back to reporting our analyses and proposals in detail with the hope that we'll find that our  political counterparts are finally paying adequate attention to the needs of the sector and the urgency of the times,” Goldoni concluded.