AGFACTS Newsbrief Summary - March 2010

·       The current size of the South Africa tractor park, measured in terms of tractive power, is approximately 5.10 million kilowatts, marginally up on last year.   This is marginally down on the figure of 5.14 million kilowatts ten years ago.

·       The average power of tractors in the South Africa tractor park has increased from 57.5 kW twenty years ago (in 1989), to 62.8 kW ten years ago (in 1999) to 74.1 kW currently.

·       The overall trend in the year-on-year price change of agricultural machinery is still moving downwards.   The current overall year-on-year reduction in prices (smoothed) is 4.5%.

·       The overall wheat crop is expected to be 1.920 million tons in the 2009 season, 9.9% lower than in the last season.

·       The first production estimate for commercial maize for the 2009/2010 season is 12.876 million tons.   This is 6.9% more than in the 2008/2009 production season.

·       Year-to-date tractor sales for the two months to February are 25.9% down on the same period last year.