Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo (Minister of Agriculture SYL) together with Deputy Minister of Trade Jerry Sambuaga together with Deputy Governor of Central Java KH. Taj Yasin Maimoen carried out the main harvest as well as the release of shallots in Brebes Regency as many as 25 trucks or 175 tons to the Kramat Jati Main Market, Jakarta. The harvest and release of shallots from the heart of national shallot production is to ensure the production and availability of shallots ahead of Ramadan and Eid are safe as well as efforts to stabilize prices. "This is on the orders of Mr. President Jokowi to ensure food availability for Ramadan to Eid. Our shallot productivity this year is quite good. Therefore, today we are both sending shallots from Brebes to DKI Jakarta as many as 25 trucks today. harvest with the Deputy Minister of Trade and tomorrow will be received by the Governor of DKI Jakarta," said the Minister of Agriculture SYL at the shallot harvest event in Krasak Village, Brebes District, Brebes Regency, Sunday (5/3/2023).

BPS data shows that the national shallot harvested area and production is increasing from year to year. In 2018, the harvested area was 156,779 ha with a production of 1.50 million tonnes, 2019 covering an area of 159,195 ha with a production of 1.58 million tons, 2020 covering an area of 186,900 ha with a production of 1.82 million tons, 2021 covering an area of 194,575 ha with a production of 2.0 million tons and 185,051 in 2022 with a production of 1.99 million tons. "Shallots, although in aggregate we are counted as self-sufficient yearly, production between months and between regions is still uneven throughout the year. Shallot production is still concentrated in several areas such as Brebes, Nganjuk, Bima, Enrekang, Solok, Garut and other centers. etc. This is where the importance of synergy and collaboration from various relevant stakeholders is to create an orchestra for providing national food, especially shallots, from upstream to downstream," said SYL.

SYL further said that the Ministry of Agriculture has tactical and strategic partners as part of efforts to control national inflation, namely Champion farmers. These champions are selected people who are seen as capable of consolidating all available resources to support the government's efforts to maintain the supply and price of basic food needs that are vulnerable to inflation, especially various chili and shallot commodities. "In 2023, the Champions have stated their commitment to consolidate the supply of 5,750 tons of shallots and 2,750 tons of various chilies as reserve stocks for the Ministry of Agriculture if needed at any time, especially on the momentum of National Religious Holidays such as Fasting, Eid, Eid al-Adha, Christmas. and New Years," he said.

Deputy Minister of Trade Jerry Sambuaga gave appreciation to the Minister of Agriculture SYL who organized the shallot harvest and succeeded in increasing production, and making the trade balance in 2022 a surplus of IDR 54.46 billion, the highest in the history of the Republic of Indonesia. Thus, the government can immediately ensure the availability of food stocks and control inflation, especially in facing Ramadhan until Eid al-Fitr in 2023. "One of our (Ministry of Trade's) tasks is to check to ensure immediate availability of food in the regions and markets, including shallots. Yesterday I traveled from Samarinda, Garut, West Sumatra and to eastern Indonesia in Makassar, Gowa and so on to ascertain those prices. under control," he said. "Indeed there are slight fluctuations but still within reasonable. And I'm sure in Central Java this can also be well controlled. of course this is one of the thanks to the success of the Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo in increasing food production," added Jerry.

Jerry added that the Ministry of Trade itself continues to support the availability of food, especially red onions, at a price that benefits farmers, traders and the public, one of which is setting up a Warehouse Receipt System (WRS). This system is important because during the main harvest it certainly needs storage, so the Ministry of Trade also supports it by building warehouses in the regions so that the crops can be stored safely and properly maintained in a room for a long time, namely 3 to 6 months like shallots. "This is one form of how we build synergy with the Ministry of Agriculture so that the upstream and downstream are well maintained and maintained. Therefore, we must maintain synergy for the benefit of the community," he said. Meanwhile, the Acting Regent of Brebes, Urip Sihabudin said this visit was important because monitoring of the availability of shallots in Brebes district was carried out directly by the Minister of Agriculture and the Deputy Minister of Trade to secure the supply of shallots ahead of Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr 2023. Brebes Regency provided full support for the stability of the supply and price of national shallots with the readiness to produce more than 15,000 tons of shallots in March to meet the needs ahead of the national religious holidays of Ramadan and Idul Fitri. "Brebes Regency's harvested area and shallot production ranks first at the Central Java Province level and nationally. In 2022, the harvested area reaches 32,573 ha with an estimated production of 384,448 tons, making Brebes Regency the number one largest center in Indonesia," he said. "Starting from Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, we are ready to supply 25 to 27 tons of shallots to the capital city of Jakarta per day. In this way, we can control price stability," added Urip.

Source: https://www.pertanian.go.id/home/?show=news&act=view&id=5291