Tractors: the economic climate is holding back the global market

Inflation, the climate emergency and the crisis in farm incomes are hampering sales of agricultural machinery, which are falling across the main markets. This is the picture outlined this afternoon in Bologna by FederUnacoma President Mariateresa Maschio, during the traditional press conference held on the eve of EIMA International, the global exhibition dedicated to agricultural and gardening machinery (Bologna Exhibition Centre, 10–14 November).

In the United States, between January and September, tractor sales fell by 13 per cent, continuing the downward trend of the last four years. Between 2021 and 2025, the number of machines sold in the US has fallen by over 100,000 units (from 318,000 to 196,000). The picture is also negative for Canada, where sales have fallen by over 9 per cent. In Latin America, the downturn is evident in the two most important countries: Brazil, where tractor sales were down 19 per cent in the seven months to July, and Argentina, where a 27 per cent decline was recorded in the six months to June.

In reporting on market trends, Mariateresa Maschio highlighted the figures for the main European countries. In the nine months to September, tractor sales fell in Germany (down 6 per cent compared with the same period last year), France (down 3.3 per cent), Spain (down 4.6 per cent) and, above all, Poland (down 18.8 per cent). Among the major European markets, only the UK recorded growth; with a 17.4 per cent increase, recovering some of the substantial declines experienced in the two-year period 2024–2025.

A sharp decline was recorded in Turkey – the president of the Italian manufacturers’ association went on to explain – where rising production costs, a loss of purchasing power and limited access to credit led to a 46.2 per cent slump in tractor sales during the first eight months of the year. Bucking the trend are the two Asian giants, China and, above all, India, where government incentive schemes are providing support for the agricultural machinery sector. In June, China recorded a 5.5 per cent increase in tractor sales (178,000 units), whilst in September India showed a 15 per cent increase, with nearly 900,000 units registered since the beginning of the year.