The gardening machinery and equipment market returned to growth in the second quarter of the year with an increase of 13.5% compared to the same period of 2019. However, the figure for the entire semester is still negative (-7 % on 2019) because the resumption of sales failed to compensate for the losses of the lockdown. Boom for atomizers and sprayers (+ 44%)
After the heavy decline at the beginning of the year (-23.1%) there is a trend reversal for the second quarter, with + 13.5% in sales compared to the same period of 2019.
However, the recovery was not sufficient to compensate for the stop recorded in the first quarter, whose performance was heavily influenced by the lockdown, so that the overall figure for the first six months of the year shows a negative balance of 7%.
This is what emerges from the data processed by the Italian association of manufacturers of gardening machinery and equipment, Comagarden, and by the Morgan statistical survey group, released today in Bologna on the occasion of the General Assembly of FederUnacoma, the Italian association of manufacturers of agricultural machinery, of which Comagarden is an integral part.
"With all the precautions related to the evolution of the pandemic - observes Comagarden - we can still believe that the most acute phase of the emergency is now behind us. The growth of the second quarter was influenced by both economic factors (a market inclined to recover the ground lost during the weeks of stoppage of production activities), and weather-climatic conditions with a spring season particularly favorable to the vegetative growth of plants ».
The rediscovery of gardening, which took place during the quarantine, when, according to a recent survey by Nomisma, 7% of Italians began to practice this activity also influenced the resumption of the second semester. Also according to Nomisma, the audience of Italian green lovers - people who take care of the greenery in vegetable gardens or on the balconies of their homes - has reached 19 million, up by 3 million units compared to 2019.
As regards the individual types of machines and equipment, there is a double-digit loss for garden tractors (-15.6%) and lawnmowers (-12.4%), while brushcutters and blowers manage to contain the losses below the 10% (respectively: -9.6% and -9%).
Negative balance also for robotic lawnmowers (-3.9%), which are in any case not too far from those of 2019, while the figure relating to chainsaws remains substantially unchanged (-0.9%). In contrast to the general trend of the sector, there are trimmers and pole pruners that see sales increase with increases of 6.3% and 11.6%. In this scenario, the strong growth of atomisers and sprayers stands out, which in the first half of 2020 recorded a + 44% on 2019.
The strong demand for this type of machines - observes the manufacturers' association - is explained by the fact that in the past weeks sprayers and sprayers have been used not only for traditional gardening uses, but also for the reclamation and sanitation of environments. from Covid 19.
The second half of the year, according to estimates by Comagarden and the Morgan survey group, could see a further slight recovery, for a year-end that should amount to a decline of 6.4% with an improvement compared to the acute phase of the crisis . For the next few months, market trends still appear to be linked to the weather and climate conditions of autumn. Indeed, a season with mild temperatures and good sunshine could be a driving force for the demand for gardening machinery and equipment.