Tractor makers buck the slowdown, expect volumes to increase 5-10%

Prospects of a normal monsoon and an expanded government food programme are helping in a modest recovery

Manufacturers of cars and commercial vehicles may be staring at an uncertain future, but tractor makers are looking to ride a rising market. Where almost every other segment of the automobile industry is contracting, tractor industry executives expect volumes to increase 5-10 per cent starting September to March. Although April saw sales slow owing to the lockdown, May saw a 5 per cent jump, year-on-year (YoY), according to the Tractors Ma­nu­fa­c­tu­rers’ Association.

These are modest nu­m­bers to be sure, but still ho­peful at a time when the ec­onomy is expected to shrink and given that tractor volumes had dropped nearly