Agricultural machinery: an uptick in demand in Italy's domestic market
With the sole exception of combine harvesters (-15%), in the nine months between January and September, the main types of agricultural machinery recorded an increase in sales, after the declines of the last decade. Tractors increased by 7.2%, transporters by 49.6%, and telehandlers by 4.7%. Apulia ranks second in Italy for tractor sales after Veneto. This domestic demand is driven by government incentives.
Domestic demand in Italy for agricultural technologies began to rise again between January and September. Data on the national market trend, processed by FederUnacoma based on registrations provided by the Ministry of Transport, indicate an increase in sales for the main vehicle categories. Compared to the same period last year – from the data released during the press conference presenting Agrilevante, held this afternoon in Bari – tractor sales increased 7.2%, with over 12,700 vehicles registered, making for a positive balance of approximately 800 units. Combine harvesters, on the other hand, dropped 15%, with 209 vehicles sold, and trailers sold the same volumes as in 2024, numbering 6,050 registered units. Transporters (tractors with loading platforms) also showed signs of recovery, reporting a 49.6% increase in sales in the period being considered, with more than 600 vehicles registered, and telehandlers, which increased their sales by 4.7%, surpassed the threshold of 820 newly registered vehicles. With specific reference to the tractor sector, the recovery in demand was particularly pronounced in the Southern regions which – as emphasized by the president of the manufacturers' association, Mariateresa Maschio – saw double-digit increases, significantly higher than the national average. Apulia, with over 1,300 vehicles sold (+23.3% over the first nine months of 2024), came in as the second-largest regional market after Veneto. Campania and Sicily also saw growth, with 950 (+10.9%) and 880 (+20.9%) vehicles registered, respectively, for the period in question. The balance was equally positive in Calabria, where new registrations exceeded 500 tractors. The incentives provided by the Innovation Fund, combined with the incentives provided by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), stated the president of FederUnacoma, have helped boost the domestic market, which has also been positively impacted by dealers' restocking of stocks. However, the uptick in machinery purchases seen in recent months does not offset the sharp declines recorded in the national agricultural machinery sector over the last decade, whose performance, concluded Mariateresa Maschio, has been affected not only by the stagnation of agricultural incomes, but also by the effects of the pandemic and geopolitical instability.
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