EIMA 2026: 3,500 Spanish Operators Expected in Bologna

The 47th edition of EIMA International, the world exhibition of agricultural machinery scheduled in Bologna next November from Tuesday 10 to Saturday 14, takes place after a period marked by a contraction in trade caused by economic and geopolitical factors. Global tractor sales fell by 8% (2.2 million units in total) in 2023 and by a further 8% (2 million units) in 2024, and the data currently available indicate a downturn also in 2025 for traditional markets.

In this scenario, Spain has moved against the trend, recording a growth of 14% in 2024 (8,762 tractors sold) and an impressive 26.7% in 2025, with 11,105 newly registered units.

An overview of market performance was provided by Davide Gallarate of the FederUnacoma Events Office during the press conference presenting EIMA 2026, held this afternoon in Zaragoza alongside the FIMA trade fair. “Spain is a country that produces agricultural machinery but is also an importing country,” explained Gallarate, “since agriculture plays a very significant role and demand for technology is therefore increasing.”

“In 2025, imports reached a value of €1.9 billion, an increase of 11% compared with 2024,” Gallarate added, “confirming the expansionary phase of domestic demand, which is expected to continue also in the medium term.”

According to forecasts by the research company ExportPlanning, during the four-year period 2026–2029 imports of agricultural machinery into Spain are expected to grow by an average of 1.3% per year, confirming Germany (26% share of total imports), France (15.1%) and Italy (13.8%) as the top three suppliers of agricultural machinery. China, on the other hand, is expected to rise to 10.2% of the Spanish market, in line with the growth rates forecast for the entire European area.

For a market such as Spain’s, EIMA represents an attractive platform, with more than 50,000 models on display and one of the broadest product ranges on the exhibition scene. “The EIMA scheduled for next November confirms its traditional format, with 14 product specialization sectors and seven thematic Salons. From this year,” added the Head of the FederUnacoma Events Office at the press conference, “in addition to the established EIMA ‘Energy’, ‘Components’, ‘Idrotech’, ‘Digital’ and ‘Green’ Salons, there will also be the new EIMA ‘Extend’ and EIMA ‘Campus’, dedicated respectively to organizations representing the global agricultural and agromechanical supply chain, and to the world of universities, research and training.”

Among the other new features are Pavilion 35, currently under construction to the highest architectural and functional standards, and the redesign of the outdoor areas where dynamic demonstrations take place for EIMA Energy, Tractor of the Year, Garden E-motion, Contoterzista Driver Trophy, as well as REAL, the arena dedicated to robots and highly automated machines.

“At the heart of EIMA International will once again be the theme of innovation, with the exhibition of the winning models of the Technical Innovation Awards, and that of internationalization, with facilities and services expressly dedicated to welcoming foreign visitors” explained Girolamo Rossi, Head of the Communication and Corporate Culture Office of FederUnacoma.

Over the five days of the event, more than 60,000 foreign visitors are expected, representing 150 countries, along with official ICE delegations from 80 countries. No fewer than 3,500 operators are expected from Spain, which has historically been one of the most strongly represented foreign countries at EIMA.

“EIMA International is not only a commercial and promotional event, but also an opportunity for dialogue among stakeholders in the agromechanical supply chain and for professional agricultural and industrial organizations,” Rossi recalled, “because agricultural machinery is the tool to achieve the objectives of productivity and environmental sustainability that are at the top of the European and international political agenda. These themes will be addressed by members of the Italian government and parliament, delegations from foreign governments, diplomatic representatives and delegations of Members of the European Parliament attending the exhibition.”

Political and economic issues are the focus of a programme of around 150 events to be held as part of EIMA, including the Forum entitled “Latin America: the ‘map of trade’ in the Europe–Mercosur agreement”, which will analyse the impact of the new agreement on the agricultural economy and agri-industrial supply chains, particularly important for Mediterranean countries such as Italy and Spain.