Wednesday, 12 April 2023 16:00

Watch out!

Written by The Hound

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OPINION: A mate of the Hound’s reckons the recent number of tractor sales, or more correctly, a lack of them, is a warning sign of a coming rural recession.

Even economists consider sales of tractors and other machinery an economic bellwether, so a big fall is a worrying indicator.

Latest figures show sales of tractors and farm machinery have fallen significantly, albeit from very high levels in 2022, according to the Tractor and Machinery Association. Since the start of 2023, the number of tractors sold was down by a quarter.

Craigs Investment Partners investment director Mark Lister says the decline wasn’t surprising, considering agricultural headwinds.

“It all filters through. There are plenty of parts of the country, towns like Ashburton, where a large part of the local economy might be servicing the agricultural sector. If that sector is feeling a little less upbeat and spending falls, it flows through the whole local economy.”

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