Tractor sales leapt by 24.4% year on year in June to 479 units after a 16.8% jump in May to 493 units, according to the South African Agricultural Machinery Association (Saama). Tractor sales in 2016 fell 11.3% to 5,855 units when drought conditions prevailed in the summer rainfall area. The accelerating increases in May and June showed that farmers are ready to open their wallets and satisfy pent-up demand following two years when cash flow was constrained. Then, the buying of equipment and other goods, such as fertilisers and seed, had to be cut back to conserve cash. The crop estimates committee in its fifth estimate in late June said the 2017 maize crop would rise by 101% compared with the 2016 crop to a record 15.631-million tonnes. Industry expectations for 2017 are that overall tractor sales should be at least as good as those in 2016. In the first six months of 2017, tractor sales were up 2.9%.
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