The costs and pitfalls of buying nets

The area under nets in South Africa is expanding rapidly as farmers try to reduce the risks associated with climate change, such as increased incidents of hail, sunburn and wind damage.

In the Western Cape alone, the area under shade nets increased from 559ha in 2013 to 3 092ha by the end of January this year, according to the Western Cape Department of Agriculture. The total area under tunnels and shade nets in the province increased from 2 814ha in 2017/2018 to 5 906ha at the end of January.

So, how economically viable is this investment? William Roberts, national sales and marketing manager of Knittex, is reluctant to provide precise figures, as returns depend on the cost of the infrastructure, what the structure will be used for, and climatic and production conditions.

“The return on investment might be realised within a year if a farm is subjected to