Incentives to upgrade tractors include generous subsidies

The most expensive tractors and harvesters suit the large farms of 100 hectares and more in the plains of Thessaly and Macedonia. But a growing number of farmers with smaller properties are starting to buy modern tractors suited to their needs. Generous subsidies are available through the Plant and Animal Production Improvement Plans project, which constitutes another incentive for farmers to upgrade what is often old equipment. «The average age of Greek tractors is 25, compared with the European Union average of 10,» a board member of the Imported Agricultural Machinery Association told Kathimerini. Farmers get information about new technologies from the Internet, their own organizations, and the Agrotica Fair.