Official statistics released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) show that the National Tractor Quality Inspection and Testing Center (COTTEC) has ranked first among all OECD authorized tractor testing stations globally for two consecutive years in total annual testing volume, achieving a historic breakthrough in China’s agricultural machinery testing field.
Agricultural machinery is a crucial national asset for ensuring food security, and testing and certification are the “passports” for agricultural machinery products to enter the market and participate in global competition. The OECD is a highly influential intergovernmental economic organization, and its tractor testing rules are globally recognized authoritative standards in the agricultural machinery field. Obtaining OECD certification allows for mutual recognition of test data among all member countries, enabling products to gain market access without repeated testing. This significantly reduces export costs for enterprises and effectively breaks down international trade technical barriers, clearing key obstacles for domestically produced agricultural machinery to expand into the global market.
This consecutive two-year global top ranking signifies that my country’s agricultural machinery testing capabilities have achieved comprehensive leadership in the global core certification system for the first time, providing strong localized support for Chinese agricultural machinery enterprises to “go global.”
By 2025, the center had completed official OECD tests on approximately 190 tractor models, serving major agricultural machinery manufacturers across China and emerging markets in Southeast Asia and South America. In 2025, the center’s number of test projects far exceeded that of major testing stations in traditional agricultural machinery powerhouses such as the US, Germany, and Italy, giving it a significant leading advantage over similar institutions in Asia. Simultaneously, the center actively participates in the drafting and revision of international standards.
Since its authorized operation, COTTEC has always been committed to serving the globalization of China’s agricultural machinery industry. Leveraging its national platform, it provides professional and rigorous testing and certification services to hundreds of agricultural machinery enterprises, continuously supporting the quality upgrade of domestically produced tractors and overseas trade customs clearance, and deeply serving the “Belt and Road” initiative. From catching up in technology to leading in standards, from deep cultivation in the domestic market to global leadership, COTTEC has demonstrated the international competitiveness of China’s agricultural machinery testing with its core strengths, and has also laid a solid foundation for national agricultural machinery enterprises, represented by China YTO Group Corporation, to set sail overseas.
In the future, COTTEC will continue to increase its efforts in attracting and cultivating international talent, deeply participate in the formulation of international standards, expand its services across the entire industry chain, and develop “low-carbon agricultural machinery” certification. It will continue to build bridges for Chinese agricultural machinery enterprises to “go global,” safeguard Chinese agricultural machinery to go global and lead the world, and make continuous contributions to securing China’s food supply and revitalizing the national agricultural machinery industry.
