Tractor sales of 857 units in October this year were almost 12% higher than the 765 units sold in October last year.

By Nico van Burick, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad

According to the latest sales report from the South African Agricultural Machinery Association (Saama), tractor sales for the year to date are now nearly 21% higher than during the same period last year. By the end of October, 6 630 tractors had been sold, compared with 5 496 units in the corresponding period last year.

Combine harvester sales for October, however, dropped to 17 units, down 39% from the 28 sold in October last year.

Even so, year-to-date combine harvester sales remain 8% higher, at 197 units compared with 182 over the same period in 2024.

Willie Human, chairman of SAAMA, says prospects for agricultural machinery sales remain positive. Current estimates suggest that tractor and combine harvester sales could end the year about 10% higher than last year’s totals.

“We’ve gone through a period of strong competition in the market, with stock levels in some machinery categories remaining high,” he says. “The market is now settling back into a degree of normality, although in the agricultural machinery industry, it’s difficult to define exactly what ‘normal’ looks like.”

Winter crop prospects look good, he says and forecasts for the upcoming summer cropping season are also encouraging.
“From a weather perspective, it appears that a weak La Niña is likely to prevail, which is a positive sign for summer crops.”

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Encouraging sales figures signal farmer confidence

Responding to the sales figures, Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at Agbiz, says the key takeaway is that another favourable season likely lies ahead. “If anyone doubted South African farmers’ enthusiasm for the 2025/26 summer planting season, these sales figures should serve as further encouragement.”

Farmers are expected to plant 4,1 million hectares, which is 1% more than in the 2024/25 season. Given the favourable weather outlook and the ongoing investment in farm machinery, Sihlobo believes these planting plans are realistic – though he cautions that it’s still early in the season.

The increase in machinery sales, he says, also reflects financial gains from the previous season, particularly for grain, horticultural crops and wine grapes, which benefited from favourable weather conditions. It’s worth noting that the 2024/25 summer grain and oilseed harvest came in at 20,08 million tonnes – a 30% year-on-year increase.

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