From M&M to Escorts, tractor makers hitch a ride on farm machinery

A saturated tractor market and increasing mechanisation provide the momentum

Last week, the Nanda family-owned Escorts Ltd signed a multi-layered deal with Kubota Corp, global agriculture equipment major, that will take the Osaka, Japan-headquartered shareholding to 53.50 per cent. It was a sign of a major shift in the nature of the agri-machinery business.

Once the deal is complete, Escorts and Japan’s oldest tractor maker, Kubota, will firm up a plan for the next six to seven years. Part of the plan is to diversify the product range in a big way, including expanding the farm machinery section, which currently forms a small part of the business. Kubota will also use