TURKEY'S FIRST ELECTRIC TRACTOR TO BE READY FOR PRODUCTION LINE...
The mass production of Turkey ’s first electric tractor can be postponed by one month to October due to the coronavirus pandemic, a senior Agriculture Ministry official said on April 19. “Work is continuing to set the electric tractor production line. We will start manufacturing as soon as the production line is ready,” said Özkan Kayacan, Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM) general director. “We aimed to release the electric tractors at the end of August or the beginning of September, but it can be delayed by one month,” he added. Demand for the indigenous electric tractor is already high, said Kayacan, adding, “If I announce that it is for sale, some 1,000 of them would be sold overnight. The demand is high because fuel cost is high. We are talking about decreasing the current fuel cost by a 20th.” An electric tractor is expected to help a farmer save 133,000 Turkish Liras ($18,720) yearly on average, according to the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry’s estimate. ...