Sonalika ITL's tractor exports jump 34% in FY17

The company exported 5,043 tractors this year as against 3,768 tractors that were exported last year over the same period.

Tractor manufacturer Sonalika ITL, one of the top three tractor makers in India along with Mahindra and Tafe, has reported 34% growth in exports against a 1.5% decline across the industry during the last five months (April-August 2016).

The company operates in about 80 countries and has assembly plants in Brazil, Argentina, Algeria, Iran and Cameroon and a centralised spare parts centre in the Czech Republic.

Even though the industry is witnessing a decline in sales due to the oil crisis in several Latin American and African countries, Sonalika ITL racked up impressive numbers by exporting 5,043 tractors this year against 3,768 tractors over the same period last year. In August 2016, Sonalika ITL exported 1,010 tractors, which is more than double from 501 tractors it exported in August 2015.

"We are the only Indian company which exports to 24 European countries and have also launched our tractors in USA and China, which are the second and third largest tractor markets, respectively," Deepak Mittal, MD of Sonalika ITL, said.

Sonalika ITL has introduced newer technologies like CRDi to comply with the European and American emission norms. Their sub compact tractor models -- Solis 20hp and Solis 26hp -- are very successful in the European market, along with the narrow tractor range Solis 60hp to Solis 90hp.

According to the Tractor Manufacturers Association data in July, Sonalika ITL led exports with 1,534 units, Tafe exported 1,256 units, John Deere 1,173 units, Mahindra 1,100 tractors, New Holland 720 tractors and Escorts 82 units.