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NT Bureau
Chennai, Apr 9:

        Keeping up the strong momentum of the previous fiscal, Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE) has reported a record sale of 80,134 tractors in the fiscal year 2006-07.

        When TAFE acquired Eicher's tractor business in June 2005, the company had announced plans to reach 80000 tractors sale in 2007. TAFE's tractor group has successfully achieved this landmark. Turnover for the year for TAFE and its subsidiaries is estimated to be about Rs. 3200 crores for the fiscal.

        According to Mallika Srinivasan, director, TAFE, the key to this achievement has been the successful integration of the Eicher Tractor business, extensive product development activities and the focused team effort assisted by a buoyant market and availability of finance which has resulted in a growth of 20.2 per cent in tractor sales volumes. Tractor exports have grown by close to 30 per cent in volume this year while exports of aggregates and components of tractors have also contributed to export sales turnover.

        The bulk of the domestic tractor growth has come from the non- traditional markets of the south that have witnessed exponential volume growths these past two years while in the north, due to combination of reasons, sales growth has been limited .

        Sale of Eicher brand of single and multi cylinder diesel engines has increased by 40 per cent, due to extensive inroads being made into rural and infrastructure applications.

        Commenting on plans for the coming years, Srinivasan said, 'TAFE's tractor group will continue on its growth plans by entering domestic and international markets with innovative products and by strengthening its close ties with its partner, AGCO Corporation of the US.'