Economic aspects of applying hail protection nets in apple plantations

Hails are dangerous sources of damage in horticultural production. The immediate danger is the scares caused by mechanical knocks appearing on the fruits, which may annihilate the market value of produces. Moreover, serious breaks may occur also on the woody parts of the fruit trees, which reduce the future yields of subsequent, even the third, year. Additional indirect economic consequences of a hail are expected as explained below: – wounds appearing on all parts of the trees require hygienic care, which means expenses, – productivity of tending and harvesting works declines and the specific costs for the scared fruits increased by the necessity of preliminary selection on the tree or later in the warehouse. Total destruction of fruits means the sparing of harvesting costs but also a total loss of income, – in spite of careful election, wounds on the fruit may start decay threatening the healthy fruits too and causing further deficits during the sales’ season, – the shortage of goods leaves the storing capacity unutilized increasing the prime costs substantially, – mainly, in larger enterprises, the lack of goods may cause loss of markets on the long run. As expected, the changes in global climatic conditions are promising weather excesses, i.e. higher frequencies and intensities of hails. Interests to develop technologies for protecting plantations against damages caused by hail are increasing in the fruit growing branch. As the first approach to solve the question, we may distinguish two alternatives, one is the control on the level of enterprises, whereas control on the community level. Within the former level there are the hail protecting nets and the hail protecting cannons. With adequate outfits, they are to be solved on the spot by high costs to be economized from the income. The technologies on the community level require common actions on a whole region or even on a country. At the moment, three alternative technologies are known: the rockets, soil-generators and airplanes. Let alone the hail protecting methods on the level of enterprises, an accepted way to cope with hail damages is the insurance. However, it does not prevent damages, it is designed to moderate the economic consequences of a physically existing damage or some of its components explained above. As a matter of fact, the insurance charges are expensive and tend to become even more expensive, approaching the 15–20% of the value insured. Insurance cannot be effected, where the hails are frequent. On the contrary, hail protection systems (involving both on the level of plantations or even of community) are aimed to prevent damages with of its consequences. Considering the fact that an enterprise may choose from the first category, we are dealing with the use of hail protective nets.