China’s agricultural machinery exports have risen by 28.9% year-on-year, for the first quarter of 2026. The total value of agri machinery exports for the first quarter is said to total $5.9bn, according to Chinese media.

For context, the total value of agricultural machinery exports is said to have totalled $10.2bn for all of 2025. This alone marked a 32.1% increase in the value of machinery exports in 2024.

What began largely as a tractor-focused export business is now expanding into major equipment categories, such as combines, forage machinery, and crop protection equipment.

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Having established a strong foothold in the low-horsepower segment across many international markets, many of the Chinese brands are now incorporating increased levels of technology in order to try and compete with the well-established global brand names. In recent years, particularly at Agritechnica show, we’ve seen manufacturers such as Zoomlion and Lovol showcase larger horsepower flagship models, including hybrid models claiming to produce up to 1,200hp.

It is reported that central Asian countries are among the most important export destinations for Chinese-built agricultural equipment due to its growing agri sector and demand for cost-effective mechanisation solutions. Chinese agri machinery and tractors are often competitively priced on export markets, due to many manufacturers receiving government subsidies.

Many manufacturers have transitioned to a strategy whereby development and production centres are being localised in other countries, as opposed to exporting finished equipment.

YTO is said to be one such company following this strategy. Kazakhstan is one of the larger export markets for YTO and has recently become a location for an assembly plant. For context, it is understood that YTO has went from previously selling approximately 100-200 finished tractors annually in the region, to now exceeding 1,000 units, ranging in power from 90 to 280 horsepower.

Weichai Lovol, the parent company of Lovol tractors is another brand going from strength to strength and continues hard to establish itself within Europe.

Lovol has capacity to build over 100,000 tractors annually. Sales in central Asia are increasing by more than 30% annually.

Last year, China finished up as the world’s second-largest agricultural machinery manufacturer with an output valued at approximately $35bn, second to the United States at $42bn. Germany placed third with a total output of $16bn.