Escorts Ltd hopes to use the muscle power and versatility of its large tractors to make it more attractive to farmers and expand its market.
It will soon be coming out with a total application solution including a wider range of tractor-drawn implements to support farmers.
The launch of its 60-HP Farmtrac range paves the way for increasing the ways a tractor can be used, says Escorts' Chief Executive Officer, Mr S. Sridhar.
Tractor segments
The tractor market is segmented into small tractors, including those of less than 35 HP; medium 35-50 HP; and large over 50 HP, and is shifting towards the large segment. Industry sales is estimated at about 5 lakh units a year and the share of large tractors has grown four times in the last four years to corner one-fourth of the market.
The lion's share is in the midsize which is stable at about 70 per cent, while the small tractor segment has shrunk to a third from 25 per cent.
Farmtrac is available in two models — 60 HP and 65 HP — and are the largest in the market.
“With greater pulling power comes greater ability… more and bigger farm implements can be dragged behind the tractor to do the job faster and better, he says. Also, the tractors have a lifting capacity of nearly 2.5 tonnes; they can move or load construction material. A farmer uses a tractor for only a few months. The rest of the time a hoe or a dozer can be linked to a large tractor to hire out for construction work,” he said.
Escorts will not just sell the tractor but an entire package of solutions to support farmers. This effort is in the pipeline and will soon be launched.
Farmtrac will be available in six variants with a 24-speed gearbox with 12 forward gears, and an equal number of reverse gears for versatile application and a heavy duty eight-geared plus two reverse geared versions. There will also be new launches every six months.
Escorts led the market a few years back till the advent of multinationals when large tractors were around 50 HP. The company has upped the HP ante to wrest back its leadership position, with home-brewed technology that is ideal for Indian conditions, says Mr Sridhar.