In the article the organization and economic basis of maintenance service of agricultural machinery in Ukraine are disclosed.

The author points out that a considerable number of tractor pools in domestic agricultural enterprises have been used for more than 10 years, i.e. beyond depreciation period. That is why, there are enough used machinery, which could be repaired or used as spare parts. The studies show that the repair and modernization of machine and tractor pools in agribusinesses on the technological level require purchase of machinery and equipment for 15 billion hryvna every year. From that sum 3-3,5 billion hryvna for modernization of tractor pool; 3,5-4 billion hryvna for grain harvesting machines; 0,35-0,4 for sugar beet harvesting machines; 1,0 for fodder harvester; 1,0 for animal husbandry machineries; 3 billion hryvna for machinery of general use.

In our opinion, one of the essential economic advantages of the second hand machinery market is that it contains the prices for new machinery. The development of old machinery market is promising supply channel of additional machinery and spare parts to the agribusinesses. Its development directly depends on implementation of marketing principles into the businesses’ activities providing maintenance and marketing of used machinery. An important marketing direction of these businesses could be development of a flexible price formation system for the repaired machinery. That system has to take into account the financial possibilities of agribusinesses.

It is pointed out, that the type and volume of technical service depend on the quality of machinery and level of their depreciation. The more the quality of the machinery delivered, the lower the maintenance cost and the more simple to organize its maintenance. With more exploitation period, depreciation and aging of machinery, the technical maintenance is growing enormously, which increases the cost of mechanized works and agricultural products.

For the material and technical provision of agricultural producers in Ukraine, the enterprises of the “Ukragrotechservice” system were established with the task to provide timely and maximum servicing of agribusinesses.

As the study results show, the rather specific conditions prevail now, characterized by weakening of state regulation in the agro-service sector of enterprises for strengthening of their business relations, integration with agricultural producers for equivalent exchange and distribution. In present conditions, the search for organization of new market type structures is done. One of these structures is union of agricultural producers, cooperatives (as nonprofit entities) in the sector of agro-service and material-technical provision.

It should be pointed out, that the machinery leasing in the West is considered as an efficient way for decrease of high cost of machinery purchase, maintenance and repair. As the analysis shows, there are different technical maintenance services abroad – from direct relation between producer and consumer and up to the mediators with wide range of additional services proposed (beside the marketing of the machinery). The most spread organization form of technical maintenance service, in the USA in particular, is the dealer business. Although during the last 15-20 years, a clear trend towards decrease of number of dealer enterprises and their economic efficiency. At the same time, the sale volumes reduce.

It has to be admitted, that a promising direction for technical maintenance service the formation and servicing of the used machinery market. Taking into account the lower price compared to the new machinery, these machinery will be bought by repair factories, machinery centers and dealers and after the repairing they will sell the machinery to the financially less secured agricultural producers.

In the sector of supply, repair and technical maintenance, a dealer network with direct relations to the manufacturers has to be established. The set up of dealer services in the villages will provide technical maintenance services for the competitive brands with the aim to strengthen the connection to the customers and to create the long term partner relations of mutual benefit. Such approach will secure efficient management decisions between the quality of technical services and its cost.

Key words: agricultural machinery, agricultural enterprise, market, repair services.