FARGO (AP) - About 140 workers at Fargo's Case New Holland plant will be laid off next month, company officials said Friday.

The plant's parent company, CNH Global NV., issued a two-sentence statement attributing the layoffs to a continuing weakness of the economy and a need to align production with demand.

"The action will take effect beginning on March 16, 2009, and will affect employees on all product lines," the statement said.

Company officials would not elaborate.

"We really can't say anything else," Ralph Traviati, spokesman for CNH Global, said Friday.

At the end of last year, the Fargo plant reported a work force of 877. It makes large four-wheel drive tractors and construction loaders.

The Fargo plant is one of 39 CNH manufacturing plants in Europe, North America, Latin America, China, India and Uzbekistan.

Last April, the city of Fargo awarded Case New Holland a 10-year tax exemption for an expansion project after the parent company threatened to move 200 jobs to Brazil. City officials said the company has not yet received the tax breaks, which are worth more than $625,000.

Illinois-based CNH Global announced in December that it was temporarily shutting down one production line but said workers would be shifted to other lines.