Ask any farmer in Mzansi and they will tell you the importance of using resources wisely – from fuel to feed to fertiliser. And water of course! In a water-scarce country like South Africa, and a world facing changing climate, every life-giving drop counts.
That is why Netafim exists, says Adriaan de Lange, managing director of Netafim South Africa. As the biggest irrigation company in the world and global leader in precision irrigation solutions, Netafim has invested more than half a century of research and development to perfect its solutions to farmers who need to grow more with less.
The products may be high-tech, but the reasoning is simple: deliver the correct amount of water and nutrients at the right time and in the right spot – without waste – and achieve higher yields while saving time and money. This promise is made no matter the farm’s topography, climate and other variables.
“Netafim takes precision irrigation to the next level,” De Lange tells Food For Mzansi and explains that the company’s global footprint allows it to bring the most advanced precision irrigation solutions to Southern Africa. “It also allows us to share the lessons we learn in the often-challenging African conditions with our colleagues across the globe.”
“It doesn’t stop with products. We take responsibility to ensure that our products and solutions do the work that it should do on the farm,” he says.
How? Thanks to a network of agronomists, technical advisors, training specialists and a services team who work as a unit to share knowledge and make sure every irrigation system is precisely tailored to the specific conditions and needs of that farm.
“We are geared to solve problems,” says De Lange, who himself was raised in a farming community in KwaZulu-Natal. He took over the position of MD from Etienne Erasmus in November 2021 and is a qualified chartered accountant with more than 20 years’ progressive leadership experience in agribusiness.
Driven to find solutions
Netafim prides itself in offering trusted technical and agronomic advice and linking farmers to the latest available technology and thinking around precision irrigation.
The company, part of the Orbia group, was established in 1965 and has a footprint in 110 different countries today. It entered the Southern African market 30 years ago, where it also operates one of its 18 manufacturing plants around the world.
As a leader in drip irrigation and other precision irrigation solutions, Netafim has pioneered low-flow dripper technology, pressure-compensating dripper technology, turbulent dripper flow paths to lower the risk of clogging and new standards of irrigation filtration, among other solutions to overcome challenges on the farm.
More recently, the company developed the NutriDoser range of fertigation units and a water meter monitoring platform, right here on local soil.
The continuous development of existing solutions as well as the innovation of new solutions ensure that Netafim’s contribution to an advanced agricultural industry does not end with the invention of drip irrigation. It is important to them that theory is brought to farm level, through trials, field support and more. “Where we need to, we do not hesitate to bring in specialists from around the world to solve our local problems,” De Lange says.
Business with purpose
The company’s excellence is driven by strong conviction. As part of the Orbia group, it is part of a community of companies with a shared purpose: to advance life around the world. “We believe we have a responsibility to ensure that water is used as efficiently as possible in agriculture around the globe,” De Lange says. “We want to advance life around the world, by helping farmers grow more with less.”
He also passionately believes in the team’s contribution to local food security and wealth creation for farmers, all while being environmentally conscious and responsible. “Agriculture is challenged to produce more with less – to feed the rapidly growing population with limited resources while protecting the environment.”
For that to be achieved, he believes, stakeholders need to pull in the same direction. And even though precision irrigation is on the rise, mass adoption is not a reality yet. The Netafim team wants to change that by not only supplying the industry with quality products and the latest technology, but also sharing knowledge in the industry.
“I’m sure we all want to make a good living, but also want to leave our planet in a pretty good shape for future generations,” says the MD. “My goal in life is to make a difference [and] this is a fantastic opportunity to do just that.”
For De Lange’s advice to farmers, and for more information on the company’s commitment to helping farmers conserve water, listen to the latest episode of Farmer’s Inside Track. For more information on Netafim South Africa, click here.
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