Farm Machinery Market in the Second Half of the XX Century

In the 1950’s the sales of tractors and harvester threshers grew dramatically in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and in France (in 1950 22,500 tractors were sold in France increasing to 110,711 in 1955). At the same time sales in Poland were still low, but with an increasing trend. In the USA a decrease in sales was already occurring. Beginning in 1970, the sales of farm machinery began to decrease in both France and in the FRG. The reasons for the decrease in sales were: (1) saturation of the farm equipment market, (2) a reduction in the number of farms and the increased use of specialization, (3) changes in technology and the way farm machinery was utilized, (4) an increase in the cost of production versus the value of the agricultural products. In Poland the dramatic drop in sales did not occur until the 1990’s, resulting from the removal of price controls for farm machinery (increase in cost) coupled with a drop in the price of agricultural products.