KARACHI, Sept 15: Tractor production in August 2012 fell to 3,148 units from 4,566 units in July 2012.

However, tractor sales slightly went up to 2,855 units in August 2012 as compared to 2,828 units in July 2012. The makers had slowed down the production in August owing to the month of Ramazan, while, unsold stocks and sale of subsidised tractors in the markets remained between Rs40,000-50,000.

This year, the manufacturers have also raised the prices in June. One of the tractor dealers, told that the price of tractor MF-240 had been raised to Rs609,000 as compared to Rs569,000, which makes seven per cent. The government had imposed 16 per cent GST in April 2011 but in third week of January 2012 it was reduced to five per cent which the assembler said was passed on to the end users.

A tractor assembler said that tractor prices had actually gone up by at least three to four per cent in June, this year, due to increase in the prices of steel products by the Pakistan Steel and there were other factors such as the raise in utility bills.