Life as the First Young Shallot Farmer at the Foot of Mount Gede Pangrango
by Firdaus Agustian
Born and raised under the foot of Mount Gede Pangrango Sukabumi is a matter of pride for me. When city people take just a day or two to play in the mountains, I can see the scenery and breathe the cool air every day. The majority of residents in this area make their living as farmers. However, most grow vegetables and their sales depend on middlemen. So, his income cannot support the family’s economy.
After seeing many agricultural products that were considered unprofitable for farmers, I had a wild idea about how to grow types of horticultural plants that were not too cheap and had good quality. As a young person who really wanted to focus on agriculture, his brain was forced to look for a solution and finally chose to plant shallots in the highlands. Interestingly, some people said there was no way my plan would work.
So with a lot of determination, I finally decided to study directly by flying to the island of Sumatra, to be precise in Lemah Gumanti District, Alahan Panjang, Solok Regency, West Sumatra. This region is known as a center for highland shallots which have the best quality.
It has been proven that shallots can be planted in the highlands
While in Solok I learned how to cultivate good soil for shallot plants. I was told that shallots require soil that is truly loose and whose fertility is maintained. A friend from Solok taught me. It has an area of almost 7 hectares. I am convinced that shallots can also be planted in the highlands.
This is the reason why I decided to garden shallots. Because I live in a high altitude area. I am trying to add to the community’s paradigm that shallot plants cannot only be planted in the lowlands like the Brebes area. However, even in highland areas, shallots can be cultivated with the same good quality.
From the results of my studies, I know the advantages of planting shallots. While horticultural crops such as tomatoes, chilies, vegetables can only last 3-4 days, shallots can last up to 3 months or more, of course with good and correct storage procedures. Another advantage is that when shallots are stored or dormant, they can be planted again as seeds. The benefit is that if one day the price of onions drops, we can save them for seeds for the next crop, and they can still be used for consumption.
In terms of price, the value of shallots remains stable in Sukabumi, because few people grow them. So, when there is only one person planting, the price will automatically be higher. Market people usually source from other areas to meet the stock of shallots in Sukabumi with higher operational costs.
Even so, shallot farming is not without obstacles. The problem with planting shallots in the highlands is that the water factor relies heavily on rainy weather. If the weather is dry, I work around this by collecting rainwater when the rainy season comes. Meanwhile, other obstacles in terms of sales are always clashes with middlemen who want to buy shallots at the cheapest possible prices. So, you have to take the initiative to sell it independently, door to door, and use social media for the Sukabumi area.
The main problem that often haunts young farmers is the lack of their own agricultural land. To overcome this, I rent land annually. It should be noted that like other areas, agricultural land is becoming increasingly difficult every day, there is land that is being turned into settlements and turned into road facilities. So, as much as possible, make use of land that is not very large, but can be worked optimally.
From one shallot farmer, the number continues to increase
My efforts to grow shallots have apparently been noticed by other farmers. Now, the number of shallot farmers, originally just me and my father, has increased to 5 people. The majority of local residents around my land. They saw that I was successful in harvesting and selling it didn’t take long.
Moreover, the processing of planting onions is not too difficult, apart from the daily workers who look after the shallot plants, the grass must be pulled every day, the harvest must be harvested, and the onions must be dried in the sun. The current location of the onion garden is in Kalapa Condong Village, Sudajaya Girang Village, Sukabumi District, Sukabumi Regency.
That’s my experience when I decided to become a farmer at a young age. From a two year study period on the opposite island with a wealth of experience on how to plant and treat shallot plants in high altitude areas, I was able to implement the planting pattern in my homeland.
If young people want to, they can definitely work as farmers, but they must be willing to learn and be directly involved in the agricultural sector. I proved that from the foot of Mount Gede Pangrango Sukabumi we can present a new commodity, namely shallots. Whereas in the past, there were only vegetables, tomatoes, cayenne peppers, and so on.
Based on price calculations which are sometimes not in favor of farmers, shallots can have a price that is felt to be quite stable and quite profitable for farmers. I am proud to be able to be a mainstay for my parents and to be able to improve the economy of farmers in my area at this time. Young people can also show off with hoes on agricultural land.
Sincerely Firdaus Agustian as a young farmer, a country boy who has never passed the civil service test. A person who has failed as a private employee, but tries not to fail as a human being who earns a living from agricultural land in Sukabumi, which is beyond fertile.
