Tractor manufacturer reportedly eyeing ‘fertile ground’

The Brno-based tractor manufacturer Zetor Tractors is looking to tackle markets in Africa and the Middle East, according to the news site iDnes. The site reported on Wednesday that the idea had been floated, for example, in the region of Kurdistan in Iraq and that the company also had interest of operations in Africa, specifically in Zambia.

Photo: Fruitman cz, CC BY-SA 4.0

Zetor Tractor a.s. in past years suggested that the market for new tractors was in crisis due to a drop in demand, reports iDnes, one reason the company has looked to expand beyond traditional markets. Two countries where the firm has looked to land new deals are Zambia and Iraq. In Zambia, iDnes reports, Zetor will work with partner Agriserve Agro and provide support and parts for its tractors sold which will be in the range of 100 to 150 horsepower.

The weekly Euro in the past cited local reports in Kurdistan that Zetor was planning a new production and assembly facility in the area partially using parts sent from the Czech Republic. The company itself, iDnes reported, however, denied it was currently looking to expand any production to the Middle East.

The CEO of the firm, Alexandr Kuchař told the daily that Brno and the Czech Republic remained the base of operations for the producer. He did allow that the company had business ties in Iraq, while a spokesman said that the firm had talked with a potential supplier in Irbil. The CEO said that negotiations were ongoing and that the firm would not comment further.

Zetor finished in the black last year although overall sales reflected recession on the European tractor market the market, iDnes wrotes, is currently suffering a worse crisis than in 2009 and 2010. Final numbers for Zetor will be released after a current audit. The company planned production of some 4000 tractors, for example, for 2016. It wanted to increase sales, iDnes writes, to 4.1 billion crowns.