Active renewal of the park of tillage equipment has become a positive trend in recent years. Leasing programs and credit products have encouraged agricultural enterprises to try to buy harvesters and tractors, as well as components for them: otherwise crop production would not be profitable. In the first forced non-working weeks, dealerships of agricultural machines closed, leaving only online sales, and this made experts involuntarily think: what awaits the industry participants in the near future?
Wrong course
The Association of Agricultural Machinery Dealers ASHOD conducted a survey, which resulted in a disappointing conclusion: demand will decline. In any case, 84 percent of the respondents think so. Most of the adherents of this point of view explained the difficulties by the exchange rate, which is now unprofitable for Russian farmers who bought equipment from foreign manufacturers - prices for it increased.
In addition, according to entrepreneurial dealers, the pandemic and related restrictions, despite all the opportunities to trade online, still make serious adjustments to the industry. The logistics system is undergoing transformations, and the deliveries from abroad of the same spare parts, although they are going on, are often in violation of the terms. European and Chinese factories were forced to interrupt work due to the coronavirus, which means that supplies are shifting one way or another. There is no need to explain to anyone what a "delayed" machine is in the field work season.
Even those agricultural companies that felt great before the pandemic and continue to work actively now, according to experts, may change their plans to update their vehicle fleet. For an agricultural producer, everything depends on the future harvest: if it is possible to achieve good volumes and quality, it will be possible to talk about development. Previously, agribusiness tried to use credit products, today - when the load on banks has grown without it - the villagers are in no hurry with loans. The Russian agrarians managed to prepare for the sowing campaign last autumn, having purchased equipment, spare parts and other things to the maximum.
However, there are positive points. Russian farmers managed to prepare for the spring sowing last fall, having bought tillage equipment, spare parts, etc. to the maximum. Most went into the field without even thinking about the problems of the engineering cluster. In addition, a significant part of agricultural producers switched to domestic equipment, and Russian factories, as you know, have not stopped their machines and conveyors for a day.
At the same time, some Russian divisions of foreign manufacturers of agricultural machinery continued to work, which means that such foreign investors even won during the pandemic - they remained in a small group of market participants who have not yet been affected by the crisis trends.
Crisis as an opportunity
It is curious that Russian companies, even small ones, found significant advantages for themselves in this difficult situation. Belgorod manufacturers of agricultural machinery feel very confident. They remind you that even if the company uses any imported components for machines, then their percentage after a few years of import substitution strategy is minimal, and the stock allows you to stay afloat for several months. In addition, the state program to support the industry continues to operate: its financing from the federal budget was planned in the amount of seven billion rubles, while the government, despite the difficulties, promises to increase financial assistance.
However, the owners of machine-building enterprises themselves say something else. Those who initially did not become dependent on imports, but, on the contrary, promoted their products to foreign markets, today found themselves on a horse.
“This whole situation with the growth of the foreign exchange rate and others is even, one might say, beneficial to us,” notes Artem Ryazanov, general director of the Belgorod plant “Belagromash-Service”.
This enterprise was raised by his father. At the beginning of the two thousandth, he redesigned a dying plant and began to produce the first agricultural machinery. Now, dozens of types of disc harrows, cultivators, croppers, trailers for transporting bales, sowing complexes, cultivators, siderate and wood waste shredders are sold not only in various Russian regions, but also abroad.
The company has its own design bureau, and depending on the demand at the factory, they design and produce the necessary products. Now they have made a bet on energy-saving machines that will not only carry out traditional technological processes, but will also take care of soil fertility.
“The demand for our equipment is growing, and so far we have not noticed any negative manifestations of the crisis caused by the pandemic,” Ryazanov adds. - Of course, those who used imported spare parts suffer, but we have everything of our own. Moreover, now we are ready to see how we can replace some spare parts that manufacturers need, but are not yet available. We tell everyone: contact us, we can help.
According to Ryazanov, in this situation, one should not complain, not demand support, but watch how you can use the opportunities that have opened. For example, he himself is now looking for new markets and is not modest.
- Our equipment is in demand, outperforms foreign ones not only in price, but also in quality. This is what those who buy it and not only in Russia tell us, Ryazanov emphasizes. “But you should always strive for more. What state support is still needed? Yes, perhaps that's enough.
Your niche
Manufacturers of tillage agricultural machinery today agree on one thing: if they have not already done so, only those who assembled new machines from imported spare parts and sold them will leave the market without thinking about the future. Experience shows that strong design bureaus, together with their own production lines and precise custom-made work, make it possible not only to withstand crisis strikes. Such enterprises are developing, forming their own niche in the industry requiring diversified solutions. Those who assembled new cars from imported spare parts and sold them without thinking about the future will leave the market.
At that time, mainly Belgorodians looked at cars with huge wheels with interest. Now, when more and more farmers are thinking about the yield of agricultural crops, they understand that climate warming does not promise success for traditional farming, the number of adherents of the principles of agricultural biologization is growing. This means that there will be more and more potential buyers of Valuysk equipment. The main thing for the plant is to offer what the client needs.
The same is noted at the Oskolselmash enterprise. They also have their own designers, which can easily be called Kulibins of the new generation. And their interests extend far beyond agriculture.
“Oskolselmash helped us a lot,” says Vasily Katyukov, head of the Novooskolsk district forestry enterprise. - We have the Green Capital program - we need to plant seedlings, and the special machines for this are so old, I remember them at the beginning of my work in the leshoz, and I've been here for decades.
The so-called Chashkin planters require renewal, however, as Katyukov notes, buying them on the market is a problem. More sophisticated heavy machines are on sale.
- They are used where there are massive logging, and new trees are planted, so to speak, on stumps, - explains Katyukov. - We don't need those like that. We would simply make it easier for the workers who plant seedlings with Kolesov's sword - it is laborious, long and not always of high quality. And so we came to the plant, explained the problem. They suggested: "Bring us your old car, we'll see." And as a result, the planter was made even slightly better than those that were produced back in Soviet times.
Oskolselmash itself did not comment on the production of unusual equipment, as well as the principles of survival in a crisis, noting that at any time "one must work, and not complain or wait for someone to help production." Well, a decent position.