Buoyed by robust growth momentum in 2025 and favorable policy support, China's tractor exports are expected to maintain a steady upward trajectory in 2026, with high-value and intelligent products emerging as key growth drivers, industry data and experts have indicated.
Customs data shows that from January to November 2025, China's tractor exports reached 167,393 units, a year-on-year increase of 20.2%, while the export value surged 32.1% year-on-year to 8.01254 billion RMB(approximately 1.12 billion U.S. dollars). This "volume and price surge" trend has laid a solid foundation for the 2026 export performance. Industry insiders predict that with the continuous optimization of product structure and the release of tariff dividends, China's tractor exports are likely to achieve a double-digit growth in 2026.
A notable feature of China's tractor exports in recent years is the obvious structural upgrading. Data from the first half of 2025 showed that although walking
tractors, the traditional export mainstay, still led with 34,600 units exported, tractors with 25-50 horsepower emerged as a dark horse, with exports jumping 60% year-on-year to 23,100 units. More impressively, crawler tractors saw a staggering 454% year-on-year growth in exports, reaching 3,231 units. This shift towards medium and large-sized tractors is expected to accelerate in 2026.
"China's agricultural machinery exports are showing characteristics of steady growth, increasing large-scale trend and distinct regional features," said Fan Jianhua, president of China Agricultural Machinery Circulation Association. The growth of high-horsepower
tractors has been particularly remarkable. From 2019 to 2024, the export value of tractors with more than 100 horsepower maintained substantial growth for years, except for a slight dip in 2024. With continuous technological breakthroughs, such as the wide application of Beidou-navigated high-horsepower tractors, China's high-end tractor products are gaining increasing recognition in the international market.
Policy support will provide strong impetus for 2026 exports. The 2026 tariff adjustment in China is expected to bring indirect benefits to the agricultural machinery sector. On the one hand, the reduced temporary import tariffs on key high-end components such as CNC hydraulic air cushions for presses and precision bearings will lower the production costs of domestic high-end tractor manufacturers, improving their profit margins. On the other hand, China will continue to implement preferential tariff rates for 34 trading partners and zero tariffs for 43 least developed countries, reducing the import costs for buyers in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and other regions, and boosting export volumes.
Geographically, Southeast Asia remains the largest export destination for China's
tractors, accounting for about 45% of the total exports. Meanwhile, the South American market is growing rapidly, and countries such as Russia and Kazakhstan have become emerging export markets. In 2024, China's tractor exports to the United States alone reached 57.66 million U.S. dollars, according to the UN Comtrade Database. Industry experts anticipate that in 2026, China's tractor exports will further expand in these markets, driven by the Belt and Road Initiative and deepened agricultural cooperation.
The endogenous driving force of domestic tractor manufacturers is also continuously strengthening. With continuous quality improvement and cost control, Chinese tractor products are gaining competitive advantages in terms of cost-performance ratio. The diverse product portfolio covering high, medium and low-end markets enables Chinese manufacturers to meet the different needs of various countries and regions. In addition, the increasing customization of products for regional demand is also helping to open up more market space.
Despite the optimistic outlook, challenges remain. Global agricultural machinery market competition is intensifying, with established brands from Europe and the United States holding significant market share. Fluctuations in raw material prices and potential trade frictions also pose uncertainties. However, industry experts believe that with the acceleration of global agricultural modernization and the gradual improvement of the international trade environment, China's tractor exports are expected to overcome these challenges and maintain growth momentum.
Wantstats data predicts that the market size of China's agricultural tractor industry will continue to expand in 2026, with the autonomous tractor segment growing to 4.2012 billion U.S. dollars. This will further support the growth of exports, as domestic production capacity and technological strength continue to improve.
In conclusion, backed by strong domestic industrial upgrading, favorable policy dividends and growing global demand for agricultural mechanization, China's tractor exports are set for another year of solid growth in 2026, with the export structure continuing to optimize towards high-value-added products.
