Despite Covid, tractor sales rise 4%

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 25

Unlike passenger vehicles, it seems the tractor industry has been immune to the Covid impact. According to statistics, the sale of tractors in the domestic market witnessed a 4% hike in May as compared to the corresponding month last year.

The industry sold 60,437 tractors in the domestic market in May as against 58,082 units last year. According to the manufacturers, the retail demand for tractors has seen faster recovery due to positive sentiments, especially in the semi-urban and rural areas.

In the near term, farmer sentiment is likely to remain positive due to several developments, including the forecast of a normal monsoon which augurs well for the tractor demand going forward. —Hemand Sikka, President - Farm Equipment sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd

The region, comprising Punjab and Haryana, is an important market for the tractors. These two states contribute 10-15% to total tractor sales in the country.

“Tractor demand in the domestic market was bullish in May because of various reasons. Firstly, there were relaxations for the farm sector during the lockdown. Secondly, the impact of the pandemic is more in the urban areas than in rural areas. Thirdly, there has been strong positive rural sentiment due to the robust rabi crop output and higher MSP resulting in better realisations,” said Sonalika Group vice-chairman AS Mittal.

The company sold 7,640 units in May this year as compared to 6,515 units in May last year, registering an increase of 17%.

According to Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), the timely relaxation during the lockdown for the farm sector helped in ensuring the speedy recovery of the tractor demand.

In May, the company sold 2% more tractors in India at 24,017 units as against 23,539 units in May last year.

However, exports witnessed a decline in volume. As many as 4,419 units were exported in May this year as compared to 6,423 units last year. For M&M, exports in May stood at 324 units as compared to 1,165 units in May last year. However, Sonalika exported 1,537 units in the same month as compared to 1,222 units in May last year.