Only 900 tractors sold in November

Tractor sales have slid 24 per cent by volume year-on-year, as labour costs and ongoing supply chain difficulties increase prices. See the sales changes year-on-year for each state.

Tractor sales slumped across Australia in November with just 900 units sold, 33 per cent down on the same month last year.

Despite a year-on-year slide of 24 per cent by volume, tractor sales for 2023 have topped 13,000 units, which is more than the long-term annual average.

Tractor and Machinery Association executive director Gary Northover said economic and environmental factors were contributing to the price correction.

“Not only are local interest rates having an impact but the inflationary effects of increased labour costs and ongoing supply chain difficulties have seen machinery prices rise significantly and history tells us that these can take some time to unwind, if at all,” Mr Northover said.

He added that machinery dealerships had plenty of stock, but an overloaded import processing system at Australian wharves was causing significant delays for some machines.

“All attempts to have priority applied to machinery that might be ‘time sensitive’ are met with the answer that the system is overloaded and can only manage on a first-come-first-in basis,” he said.

All states experienced a drop in monthly tractor sales in November, with Queensland down the most, at 48 per cent compared to November last year.

Victoria is the biggest loser for the year to date, with tractor sales down 28 per cent compared to last year.

The 200hp-plus category was the only one to experience a strong November, with machine sales up 40 per cent compared to November last year. But the large-tractor sector still lags 16 per cent behind year to date.