Agricom.id, JAKARTA – The Director in duty of Vegetable and Medical Plants, Ministry of Agriculture, Sukarman ensured that the onion in the cumulative balance nationally is in control. “From the early warning system (EWS) data that we mapped, the cumulative balance of onion nationally is in surplus though many regions are still in minus. The big scale onion producer areas are not equal yet in every province,” he said.

He also suggested that the regions where the stocks are minus still should plant it to reduce the deficit and dependency. “Do not depend on the stocks from other regions,” he said.

Confirmed by the phone, 18 onion centers are Bandung, Garut, Cirebon, Majalengka, Grobogan, Pati, Demak, Temanggung, Brebes, Kulonprogo, Malang, Probolinggo, Nganjuk, Pamekasan, Lombok Timur, Bima, Solok, and Enrekang. Those regions always supply to Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, dan Bekasi (Jabodetabek). The production estimation in May-June 2020 would be 125.363 tons (rogol kering askip) within the harvest areas reaching about 15.014 hectares (ha). The production results could fulfill the needs in the 18 regions which reached about 16.344 tons, the people in Jabodetabek reached 20.357 tons, and the surplus would be 88.662 tons

Miftah, the contractor in Plantation Agency, District of Grobogan, Central Java who is onion farmer told that onion in the farmer level is good enough but the productivity may be small in numbers.

“The onion is relatively good, Sir. But the productivity averagely decreases because of diseases and pest,” he said.

Miftah thought that the super onion in the farmer could be Rp35 thousand per kilogram, the small to middle size onion could be Rp 20 thousand per kilogram. From what he knew, at least, there are 219 hectares onion areas to be harvested in May 2020. "If in the District of Grobogan in a year, (the harvest) could be reaching more than one thousand hectares,” he said.

Based on the monitoring results done by the officer of Informasi Pasar, General Directorate of Horticulture (10/5), the cheapest onion in the farmer level could be 21.000/kg in District of Malang, East Java Province, the most expensive onion could be Rp 45.000/kg in District of Agam, West Sumatera Province. In Pasar Induk Kramat Jati (PIKJ), DKI Jakarta, it could be Rp 41.000/kg. The average price in the retailer could be Rp 51.000/kg. In PIKJ, it has been increasing since the second week in April within the average more than Rp 35.000 per kilogram.

“In the late days, the stocks in Pasar Induk Kramat Jati got decreasing to the last week stocks. The stocks are super onion or premium grade. The medium grade is about Rp 38.000 but relatively small in numbers,” Syarif, one onion seller in Pasar Induk Kramat Jati when being confirmed by phone.

He thought that many big scale sellers have the medium grade onion and taken the chance to sell it in premium price. It makes Rp 5.000 per kilogram more expensive than usual. (A2)