Indian farmers registered more tractors in October 2026 than in any month on record, even as the wider vehicle market sank. The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) counted 79,285 units, 3.10 percent above the 76,898 sold in October last year and 3.09 percent above September's 76,906.
Rural buyers carried the month. They accounted for 80.2 percent of registrations, and rural sales grew 5.83 percent from a year ago while urban sales fell 6.62 percent. Measured against September the pattern reversed, with rural sales up 1.53 percent and urban sales up a stronger 9.96 percent. Overall vehicle retail fell 23.80 percent, which FADA largely blamed on the festive calendar, since Diwali fell entirely in November this year.
The financial year so far looks stronger still. Between April and October, registrations reached 637,620 units, up 17.72 percent from 541,624 in the same period last year. During the Navratri festival, from 11 to 20 October, dealers registered 23,036 tractors, 2.43 percent more than in last year's festival and 22.05 percent more than in 2024.
Mahindra and Mahindra stayed on top. Its tractor division sold 18,263 units for a 23.03 percent share, up from 16,967 and 22.06 percent a year earlier, and its Swaraj division added 14,206 units and a 17.92 percent share. The two together took nearly 41 percent of the market.
International Tractors Limited came third with 10,364 units and 13.07 percent. TAFE sold 9,256, Escorts Kubota 8,331, John Deere 6,439 and Eicher Tractors 4,858.
Diesel still rules: it took 99.96 percent of sales. Electric tractors made up the other 0.04 percent, around 32 units. For now, the figures from dealers show a farm machinery market that is growing on rural demand and is almost entirely diesel. FADA's October figures leave out Telangana, because registration data from the state's transport offices were not available.
Photo: Zenit / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Rural Voice
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