40 Availability of diesel No serious shortages of diesel were experienced in the reporting period. Diesel rebate The diesel rebate for which producers qualify consists of 40% of the general fuel tax and 100% of the Road Accident Fund levy. The South African Diesel Rebate Programme provides significant financial relief to agricultural producers by refunding a portion of the fuel levies (fuel and Road Accident Fund levies) paid on diesel used in qualifying agricultural activities. This rebate applies to diesel used off-road, aimed at reducing the high operational costs of fuel consumption that are integral to agricultural production. Eligible sectors, including crop and livestock farming, may claim up to 80% of their diesel purchases for qualifying activities. This will change to 100% of their diesel purchases for qualifying activities from the end of March 2026. As of 2024, the rebate amounts to 366 cents per litre on land-based activities like farming and forestry. To participate, producers must be registered for VAT and complete the necessary documentation with SARS. Easing the cost burden of fuel, the diesel rebate programme helps improve the competitiveness of South African agriculture, supporting the sustainability and profitability of farming operations. AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY INDUSTRY Equipment class Month-on-month change % Trend Aug 2025 Sep 2025 Tractors 5,4 5,5 Up Combine harvesters 6,7 6,6 Down Hay and forage equipment 2,0 2,6 Up Implements 0,8 0,7 Down Overall 4,5 4,7 Up Table 6: Price changes in agricultural machinery equipment. Graph 8 compares the price indexes of the tractor price and the maize price since 1985/1986. 2 500 2 000 1 500 1 000 500 0 1985/1986 1986/1987 1987/1988 1988/1989 1989/1990 1990/1991 1991/1992 1992/1993 1993/1994 1994/1995 1995/1996 1996/1997 1997/1998 1998/1999 1999/2000 2000/2001 2001/2002 2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 2015/2016 2016/2017 2017/2018 2018/2019 2019/2020 2020/2021 2021/2022 2022/2023 2023/2024 2024/2025* Graph 8: Indices for the producer price for maize and the prices of tractors. Index * Preliminary Source: Grain SA Indices: 1985/1986 = 100 Tractor price index Maize price index Source: AGFACTS INPUT OVERVIEW
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