BENGALURU (Reuters) - Indian tractor maker Escorts Kubota reported a 30.5% rise in fourth-quarter profit on Thursday, as a fall in costs offset lower demand.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Tractor sales are often seen as an indicator of the health of the rural economy and farm incomes in India.

The domestic tractor sector saw a decline in volumes in the quarter, as agricultural income was hit by patchy monsoon rains and falling reservoir levels, analysts said.

BY THE NUMBERS

Escorts Kubota's net profit rose to 2.42 billion rupees ($29 million) for the three months ended March 31 from 1.85 billion rupees a year earlier.

Revenue from operations fell 4.6% to 20.82 billion rupees after seven straight quarters of growth.

Quarterly sales for Escorts Kubota were down 14.2% year-over-year.

Total expenses were down 6.2% at 18.64 billion rupees.

WHAT'S NEXT

Early signs of a normal monsoon in 2025 are expected to enhance rural sentiment and drive tractor sales in the current fiscal year, the company said in a sales report in March. It expects demand to stabilize after the general elections.

($1 = 83.5100 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Meenakshi Maidas in Bengaluru; Editing by Eileen Soreng)