The agricultural machinery market is showing a remarkable surge in Sicily to run against the national trend with registrations in steady decline. After coming to the end of 2015 with a 42% increase in tractor registrations, with 1,509 units sold compared to 1,059 the previous year, this year sales show a move ahead by 53% over the same period in 2015, with 1,185 units moved compared to 775 last year. Data compiled by the Ministry of Transport and elaborated by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, were made public this on September 19 in Mineo, in the Province of Catania, by Marco Acerbi, the head of the FederUnacoma Events Office during the Cereal Anch’Io outing.
The figures indicate that the largest share of sales in the first eight months of the current year came in the Province of Palermo at 289 units, followed by the provinces of Trapani, 178, Catania, 158, and on down to Agrigento, Enna, Caltanissetta, Ragusa, Siracusa and Messina. The new gain of registrations in Sicily – assigned mainly to the release of EU Rural Development Program (RDP) funding – stands in sharp contrast to the national trend which disclosed tractor sales blocked at 12,186 for a 2.9% decline under the previous year. Specifically, the RDP Measure 21 led to a peak of registrations between end of December last year and last June which coincided with the dates set for beginning tests on the farms benefiting from the funds. Starting in November, farming enterprises can draw down funds allocated by the government, and managed by INAIL, the National Institute for Accidents at Work Insurance, for the purpose of purchasing agricultural machinery with elevated standards of safety.
The market potential can be measured during EIMA International, the big agricultural machinery exposition scheduled for November 9-13 in the Bologna Trade Fair Center to be attended by business people, farmers and contractors from around the world. In this setting, where 1,900 industries from 50 countries will be exhibiting, official delegations from 70 countries will take part along with business people from 140 countries and drew 240,000 visitors for the 2014 edition, the Sicilian Region will play a front rank role. At present, 30 Sicilian industries are scheduled to appear in the review with delegations of business people from the island to learn of and compare the finest technologies for all types of work and deal with a wide range of components, spare parts and products for the personalization of machinery and equipment.
Acrebi declared at the press conference, “In the world panorama of the sector, the EIMA review in Bologna ranks a clear second only after Agritechnica in Hanover but presents the highest level of internationalization with total cover of the mechanization requirements for specialized crops and Mediterranean agriculture. Another reason for encouraging the arrival of farmers and contractors to EIMA is that Mediterranean agriculture stands for absolute excellence.”
