AGFACTS Newsbrief Summary - November 2010

·       Twenty manufacturers currently sell 468 tractor models in South Africa.   This is 105 more models than were offered five years ago.

·       The most tractor models occur in the 60 – 70 kW class with 14.3% of total models.   The next most popular classes are the “orchard” and 70 – 80 kW classes, with 13.0 and 9.4% of the total models, respectively.

·       Approximately 78% of tractor models offered on the South African market are four wheel drive models.

·       In the past five years there have been significant increases in the number of models being offered in the <=20 kW, the 20 – 30 kW, the 40 – 50 kW, the 50 – 55 kW, the 60 – 70 kW, the 90 – 100 kW, the 100 – 120 kW and the >=200 kW classes.

·       The trend in year-on-year price increases of all categories of agricultural machinery is upwards.   The current overall year-on-year reduction in prices (smoothed) is 5.4%.

·       The overall wheat crop is expected to be 1.571 million tons in the 2010 season, almost 20% down on last year.

·       Year-to-date tractor sales to October 2010 amount to 4 315 units, approximately 12% down on last year.