Demand for agricultural technology is growing, but supplies of raw materials are scarce. Ferrous materials and plastics are hard to come by and showed record increases in March, to the detriment of agricultural machinery, which uses large quantities of these materials. In the manufacture of a tractor, the ferrous component accounts for 75% of the total.

Registrations of tractors and other types of machinery recorded significant increases in the January-March period, which not only made up for the deficit of the first quarter of 2020, but also pushed sales to record levels. Public support was decisive, with tax incentives for 4.0 and the Sabatini Law. Sales of higher-powered tractors soared.

A timetable with deadlines and obligations marks the organizational stages of EIMA International 2021, the great exhibition of agricultural machinery to be held in Bologna from October 19 to 23. The dates have also been set for the next edition, which will be staged from 9 to 13 November 2022.

After a sharp drop at the beginning of the year, sales of gardening machinery and equipment recovered steadily during the summer and autumn months, reaching a peak in the last quarter that brought the final balance to a profit of 3.3%. The figure for lawn mowers was negative, while sprayers, which are also used for sanitizing environments, showed a clear increase.

The second session of the 2020-2021 competition has ended, following the one held last November during the EIMA Digital Preview. Twelve innovations attracted the attention of the international jury of experts (5 as “Technical Innovations” and 7 as “Mentions”), which join the 43 winning entries from the first stage of the competition. Official award ceremony at EIMA international 2021 (19-23 October).

Registrations for the year were down for almost all types of vehicles, even if the final figures appear less negative than expected. The sharp surge in sales in the last two months of the year made it possible to partially offset the collapse recorded between March and May due to the first pandemic wave and the lockdown.