Agricom.id, PACET – For the people who live out of East Java, Pacet, Mojokerto may not be familiar as the garlic producer. The facts showed that since 1974 Pacet is garlic producer. In general, lumbu hijau is mostly planted.

Something bad happened in 1996 when garlic was imported in many numbers in Indonesia. This pressed the garlic in the local. Because of the price competition, the garlic farmers in Pacet, slowly bust sure, planted other commodities, such as, cassava, onion, and others.

The garlic of Pacet is famous by its best quality within spicy smell. As one producer in Mojokerto, garlic was the mainstay to give promising income to get better life.

This is the same with what Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo told that one goal of agriculture is about to increase the farmers’ economy. The plan to develop the local garlic and to reduce the import would be the good news for the farmers after more than two decades they did not plant garlic massively.

"Garlic is one horticulture commodity that contributes to the inflation nationally, besides chili and onion. The dependence on the imported garlic would be an issue in the future,” General Director of Horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture, Prihasto Setyanto said, as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

He thought that garlic would be kept developing nationally to reduce the import and to anticipate the inflation.

Slowly but sure, the garlic centers both which have existing and new areas to develop, including in Pacet start developing. The policy to plant garlic gives the new spirit for the farmers to cultivate it again. In 2020 in Pacet, the plantation covers about 109 hectares (ha). Some are developed independently and in cooperation with the garlic breeders.

“Garlic in Pacet is planted in 6 villages, they are, Sajen, Pasukan, Claket, Petak, Cepokolimo, and Kemiri. The planting covers about 109 ha within the widest one is in Village of Pacet reaching about 32,05 ha, Village of Petak reaching 27,10 ha," Head of Agriculture Agency, District of Mojokerto, Teguh Gunarko said.

He told that until now about 27 ha garlic areas in the region were harvested and 82 ha would be harvested in October 2020 within the productivity about 12 – 14 tons per ha.

“I am optimist that by this condition and the support from the central and provincial government, the garlic planting would be more massive,” he proudly said.

The special in the garlic planting in Pacet, Mojokerto is that most planting is in the average 450 – 600 meters of the sea. It is supported by the good irrigation and the right consideration to plant.

“The harvest when night and day different temperature significantly happens would stimulate the size of the bulb and tusk of the garlic to be bigger,” the garlic producer of City of Batu, M. Thoha said.

The producer which cooperates with the breeders in Pacet did hope that the production to come should be the candidate to the seeds.

This is the same thing with what Director of Horticulture Seeding, Ministry of Agriculture, Sukarman told. To get the better quality of garlic nationally, one thing to know is the planting of qualified seeds.

“To get the big size garlic, we suggest to plant the seeds which fulfill the condition of minimal technic, the dormancy break should be 50% and the tusk should be at least, more than 3 cm,” he said.

For information the garlic in Pacet is mostly in big size or more than 3 cm within the percentage more than 70%. It is good to be planted as seeds to develop the garlic region nationally.

In the planting of 2020 it is predicted that the harvest could be about 1.300 - 1.500 tons. If it is processed, it is predicted that at least, 400 - 450 tons could be planted as seeds in bigger tusks. (A2)