THE official launch of Fendt machines in Africa holds today, Tuesday, May 16, at the NAMPO Harvest Day in Bothaville, South Africa. Four tractors from the high-tech brand Fendt will be introduced into the South African market.

“We are delighted to launch our machines at South Africa’s biggest trade fair for agriculture and farming technology. With this market launch, professional South African farmers can now manage their businesses with efficient and powerful Fendt machines,” Gary Collar, AGCO senior vice president and general manager Asia-Pacific and Africa, APA, said. “Going into South Africa with our sales partner, BHBW Holdings (Pty) Ltd, with Fendt is another important step for us to expand to markets outside of Europe. It’s also an integral part of AGCO’s global growth strategy.”

BHBW Holdings (Pty) Ltd is a joint venture between the South African company, Barloworld, and Germany’s BayWa AG. The joint venture will build on Barloworld’s existing agricultural equipment and logistics technology business and comprises around 400 employees, 10 sites and a retail network of 40 sales partners in southern Africa.

At exhibition stand 43/44, four Fendt series tractors will be presented for the first time to visitors at the NAMPO show:

The Fendt 200 Vario V is the smallest Fendt tractor with an output of 70-110 hp. With an outside width of just 1.07 m, this narrow gauge tractor is ideal for fruit and wine-grape harvesting. The self-levelling front axle suspension is unique and guarantees maximum comfort, ultimate driving safety and optimum traction.

The Fendt 700 Vario on show is a versatile high-horsepower tractor with a power range of 150-246 hp, suitable for any application – from light green land use to dynamic transporting, to heavy field or fleet use.

With a power output ranging from 275 to 396 hp, the Fendt 900 Vario series has been the front runner of the tractor market for large-scale farms and contractors in Europe since 1995. With a record result in the DLG PowerMix Test (242 g/kwh at just 10.7 g/kwh AdBlue, exhaust standard Tier 4 Final), the Fendt 900 Vario is not only powerful but also extremely fuel-efficient.

With up to 517 hp, the Fendt 1000 Vario is the largest standard tractor in the world and is the latest and largest of the Fendt series. Its large tyres, intelligent ballasting and tyre pressure assistants, as well as unique, variable four-wheel drive, deliver the right amount of grip in any situation – along with outstanding manoeuvrability.

As a high-tech agricultural machine manufacturer, Fendt also offers a fully integrated track guidance system as standard for all tractor series from 100 hp, so that farmers can also reap all the economic benefits by saving on seeds, fertilizers and spraying agents.

“We are expanding our product strategy towards worldwide needs for professional farming under the toughest conditions. South Africa is fully integrated into this strategy and an important contributor to our growing ambition,” Peter-Josef Paffen, vice president and Fendt Brand Director, said. “We developed the Fendt 2020 strategy. It stands for a strong worldwide growth for the Fendt brand and it’s intended to grow the production volume at the German tractor plant from this year of approximately 15,000 tractors to 20,000 in the year 2020.”

South Africa has around 40,000 commercial farms, which together generate around 12% of the country’s GDP and the introduction of Fendt recognises this growing market segment.

“Introducing the Fendt brand in South Africa is another important step for AGCO and also a positive sign for future agricultural development in South Africa,” Nuradin Osman, vice president Africa, said. “South Africa was the natural choice for launching this important brand on the continent. For years, Fendt tractors have been setting standards in efficiency and performance in Europe and this is what South African farmers demand as well.”

—  May 16, 2017 @ 17:20 GMT