Alexandre Rocha*
alexandre.rocha@anba.com.br
São Paulo – Tractor and harvester factory Massey Ferguson, with factories in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil, has the Arab world as a destination for 8% of its exports. In the first half of this year, the company sold 664 tractors to the region. The factory has been selling to the Arab countries since the 1980s.
The foreign market in general is of great importance to the company. In 2006 foreign sales answered to 52.18% of revenues, said Francisco Delamare, the company export manager, to ANBA.
"The sales have remained stable, at a volume of around 9,000 tractors exported per year," said Delamare to ANBA by e-mail. According to him, the main international markets for the company are South Africa, Argentina, the United States, Mexico and Venezuela.
To the Arab market there has been a slight reduction in shipments in the first half of this year, as in the same period last year sales to the region totalled 679 tractors. According to Delamare, although the machines are produced in Brazil, sales to the Arab world are the responsibility of AGCO in England.
AGCO, a multinational in the agricultural machinery field, is the owner of Massey Ferguson and has offices in the United States. Apart from the two factories in Brazil, Massey has industrial plants in France, Denmark and the United States.
AGCO also controls other brands, like Challenger, Fendt and Valtra and, according to the company itself, annual revenues are around US$ 5.4 billion.
In Brazil, Massey has a factory in Canoas, which produces tractors, and another in Santa Rosa, which produces harvesters. Together, both units employ 2,126 people. Last year, the Brazilian subsidiary sold 14,585 tractors and 461 harvesters.
*Translated by Mark Ament
