Agricultural machinery comes into its own

Overview

Since Brazil began producing agricultural machinery in the early 1970s, the industry has been on a roller-coaster ride. Domestic sales have fluctuated along with agricultural commodities prices while exports have been closely linked to exchange rate. As a result, the industry has been trapped in a boom and bust cycle for the past 30 years.

As a result of a government financing programme launched in 1999, there are indications that the industry is on the path to more sustained...