EIMA International 2026, one of the world's largest farm machinery fairs, opened on 10 November in Bologna, Italy, against a difficult year for the industry, with tractor sales falling in several major markets even though long-term demand for mechanisation keeps rising, Farmer's Weekly South Africa reported.
Speaking at the pre-show press conference on 9 November, Mariateresa Maschio, president of the Italian machinery makers' federation FederUnacoma, said the market was "currently experiencing a critical phase". Economic conditions, climate pressures and geopolitical tensions were weighing on it, she said, while rising energy, fertiliser and other costs squeezed farmers. "Declining production, combined with rising costs, is resulting in lower farm incomes, which objectively limits farmers' ability to invest in new technologies," she said, adding that manufacturers face higher production costs and list prices just as their customers' spending power weakens.
FederUnacoma's figures show the scale. Tractor sales fell 13 per cent in the United States and 10 per cent in Canada between January and September 2026, 19 per cent in Brazil between January and July, 27 per cent in Argentina between January and June, and 11 per cent in Australia between January and September. In Europe, sales in the first nine months were down 6 per cent in Germany, 3.3 per cent in France, 4.6 per cent in Spain and 18.8 per cent in Poland.
Italy itself is weaker. Tractor registrations fell 5.4 per cent in the first ten months to 13,592 units, the Italian farm machinery industry's turnover is expected to drop 4.3 per cent to about €13.7 billion in 2026, and its machinery exports 5.1 per cent to €4.1 billion.
The exceptions are in Asia. China and India continue to grow, and India is expected to pass one million tractor registrations in 2026, driven by demand for low- and medium-horsepower machines and by government farm development programmes.
FederUnacoma's director-general, Simona Rapastella, said innovation remains central to the fair and the sector's answer to farming's challenges, pointing to digital agriculture, artificial intelligence, sensors, electrification and robotics. The show brings together 1,800 exhibitors, 690 of them foreign companies from 45 countries, with about 60,000 machines and equipment models across 14 product sectors and seven specialised showcases, and runs until 14 November.
Photo: Unknown author / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Farmers Weekly South Africa (reported by Henning Naudé)
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