Farm equipment manufacturer VST Tillers Tractors has entered into an agreement with ETG (Export Trading Group) to distribute its tractors, power tillers, power reapers, and diesel engines in the southern African markets, including South Africa Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and Zambia.
ETG, a global conglomerate with expertise across various industries, operates an established automotive and farm equipment distribution business in the southern African region.
Antony Cherukara, CEO, VST Tillers Tractors, said the company has focused on international business with exports of its products to more than 40 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. Farm holding in most southern African countries is dominated by small and marginal farmers, thereby making these small farm mechanisation technologies a relevant option.
'We are happy to be associated with a distribution partner like ETG for bringing our products into southern Africa. Their expertise and knowledge of the African market will be further accelerating our growth plans in the continent.”
Rajeev Saxena, CEO, ETG, said the launch of VST products will create more opportunities for the Group to delve deeper into the southern African farm equipment market serving a wide range of customers. This also aligns with the company's commitment to the farming community. 'We are excited to announce this launch and about making quality farming solutions easily accessible and available to both emerging and commercial farmers. Our vision is to launch a range of products that can effectively reach and serve a diverse customer base, while offering value-driven farming solutions,' he said.
These tractors are versatile and can be used for varied purposes from land preparation to inside the tunnels. He added that the power tillers or the walk behind tractors are more apt to farmers with small land holdings.
According to Pavankumar Nair, Business Head, ETGL, the tractors come with a 2-year 1,500 hours warranty, which speaks about the range's quality. They will be available and supported through the dealer channel across South Africa, including the neighbouring markets.”
The South African retail network consists of 15 dealers nationwide at present. It hopes to reach 25 dealers by March 2022.