For the whole of 2015, sales were down 12.2% to 5,673 units, according to the South African Agricultural Machinery Association (Saama).
The industry body had said that the surprise February rise was due to farmers buying up old inventory before the weaker rand resulted in sharp price rises, but now that most of the cheaper tractors had disappeared off dealers' floors, there would be a lull in sales.
The hiatus was in part also due to uncertainty about crop yields and exchange rates, whether the weather had transitioned from a dry El Niño global cycle to a wet La Niña cycle, land restitution issues and farm worker shares in farms.
"It is likely that agricultural machinery sales will be sluggish for the next few months," the industry body said.
Sales are down 10.4% y/y in the first four months of 2016. Current industry forecasts for the 2016 calendar year are that tractor sales will be between 15% and 20% down on last year.
Source: BDpro
For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.
We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.
Go to: http://www.inet.co.za
