During April registrations of agricultural tractors (over 50hp) were higher than in April last year. This continues a trend seen during the first three months of the year.
At 1,280 machines, the April figure was an increase of 11% compared with 12 months ago. “This is the highest total for the time of year since 2019 as manufacturers continue to work through the backlog of orders which built up last year due to supply chain disruption,” explains Stephen Howarth, agricultural economist at the Agricultural Engineers Association. “The growth rate for the year to date was similar, with 4,634 machines registered over the first four months of 2023, 10% more than in the same period last year.”
Most of the growth in registrations over the first quarter of the year was for machines of over 160hp. The 161-200hp range saw particularly high growth where 80% more tractors were recorded than in January to March 2022. Registrations of machines over 200hp also increased, this time by more than 20% compared with a year before, but there were fewer sales of tractors under 160hp in the opening three months of 2023.
“The trends in higher power bands may partly reflect improved availability, as supply chain disruptions ease,” says Stephen. “ However, it probably also reflects strong demand from arable farmers who have had a good couple of years, due to strong prices.”
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