OREANDA-NEWS  According to the results of the first ten months of 2024, sales of new domestic agricultural machinery in Russia fell by 16.5 percent in monetary terms compared to the same period last year, to 167.5 billion rubles. Kommersant writes about this with reference to the data of the association of manufacturers of specialized machinery and equipment Rosspetsmash.

The volume of production and exports also decreased by 12.6 and 9.6 percent, to 205.8 and 14.1 billion rubles. The worst situation is with fertilizer machines — minus 63.2 percent, in physical terms sales amounted to 202 units.

Shipments of combine harvesters fell to 2.87 thousand units (minus 27.7 percent), seeders — to 2.76 thousand (minus 22.5 percent), agricultural tractors — to 3.39 thousand (minus 13.2 percent). More than a year earlier, manufacturers managed to sell only mowers, harvesters and balers.

Imported agricultural machinery has failed in sales by more than 20 percent. Such data was provided by the chairman of the Board of the Association of Agricultural Machinery Dealers ASKHOD Alexander Altynov. According to him, in the current situation, farmers are unable to buy new equipment, including due to rising rates on leasing programs.

Rosspetsmash pointed out that agricultural producers have no demand for machinery, so dealers' warehouses are overstocked. Due to the high key interest rate, commercial loans are not available to farmers, and government support measures are insufficient.

Dmitry Babansky from SBS Consulting expects the agricultural machinery market to fall by 15 percent by the end of the year. In turn, Altynov talks about 17-20 percent, while he believes that the Russian segment will fall more than the foreign one. As for the expected increase in the recycling fee for agricultural machinery, it will lead to a further drop in sales, the expert is sure.

In August, Altynov noted that the decline in demand for agricultural machinery had already stretched for a year and a half and producers had not previously experienced such a long drop.