Agricultural machinery, registrations rocket at the end of 2017

The year's balance records a sharp increase for tractors and tractors with loading platforms, and for combine harvesters and trailers. The entry into force of the new EU regulations on agricultural machinery (Mother Regulation) in January lead the manufacturers to implement more aggressive marketing strategies at the end of 2017, in order to sell the stocks of machinery already produced

The Italian market for tractors recorded an unprecedented rise in registrations at the end of 2017. The figures, elaborated by FederUnacoma on the basis of the number of registrations provided by the Ministry of Transport, show a 23.8% increase at the end of the year for tractors, with 22,705 units compared to the 18,341 of 2016, and a 24.4% increase of tractors with loading platforms (transporters), with 963 units compared to the 774 of the previous year.

An increase, though more limited, was recorded also for combine harvesters (+2%, with 350 units, compared to the 343 units sold in 2016), and trailers, which went up 1.4% (9,377 compared to 9,247); while the sale of telescopic loaders - the only type of machinery still setting a negative trend - decreased by 4% by the end of the year.

The increase in sales was a break in a long negative trend of the national market and became visible already in the first half of the year 2017 (+9.7% for tractors), as a consequence, in large part, of a greater use of funds for mechanization provided under the National Rural Development Programme; the sharp increase in the last months of the year, however, highlights the predominant role of the Mother Regulation, which lead the market to perform beyond what was expected.

In fact European legislation on agricultural machinery, which entered into force January 2018, introduces novelties with regard to construction requisites of the machines, and this lead manufacturers to implement specific marketing policies for the promotion of sales of machinery already produced.

The figures indicating Italian regional sales show a marked increase in sales of tractors in the regions of Emilia Romagna (+62.6%, with 2,945 machines), and in Friuli Venezia Giulia (+69.5%, with 863 units); higher percentages than the national average were recorded also in the region Puglia (+34.4%) and in the region Veneto (+33.5%).