Boosting National Garlic Production, IPB University’s Faculty of Agriculture and Aseibssindo Establish Collaboration
Garlic, who isn't familiar with this commodity? Garlic is a cooking ingredient that is always available in every household's kitchen. In the market, the availability of garlic can be easily found. However, only a few people are aware of the significant challenges in the supply of this commodity.
The majority of national garlic supply is fulfilled through imports. This cannot be avoided due to the low domestic garlic production. In response to this, the Faculty of Agriculture at IPB University, in collaboration with the Indonesian Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Exporters and Importers Association (Aseibssindo), is working to increase national garlic production.
Dr Syarifah Iis Aisyah, a lecturer at IPB University's Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, revealed that the volume of garlic imports according to the Garlic Outlook-Agricultural Commodities in the Horticulture Subsector, Data and Information Center for Agriculture-Ministry of Agriculture 2020, was 59,89 thousand tons in 1996. This number continued to rise, reaching 600 thousand tons in 2018, which accounted for nearly 94 percent of the national garlic demand.
"The increasing volume of garlic imports opens opportunities for farmers to increase domestic garlic production while improving its quality according to market demand, both domestically and internationally," she explained.
She added that the government is continuously striving to encourage farmers in improving garlic cultivation. Of course, increasing production must be accompanied by good quality and export competitiveness.
"The availability of high-quality and superior seeds remains a major constraint in national garlic production. National garlic production needs the support of seeds with good physiological, genetic, and seed health qualities," said Dr Iis.
Furthermore, she explained that seed-borne virus infections greatly affect productivity in garlic. The availability of pathogen-free seeds (virus) is crucial. According to her, the development of tissue culture technology in providing high-quality and pathogen-free garlic seeds is expected to meet the demand in terms of quantity and continuity.
"The garlic seed industry will thrive if supported by the discovery of new varieties that possess agronomic advantages. The collection and development program of new varieties must be well managed," she added.
Moreover, Dr Iis stated that increasing production also needs to be supported by the development of crop cultivation technologies. Therefore, the establishment of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) guidelines for garlic cultivation is important as a reference for practitioners.
"The utilization of technological innovations needs to benefit the general public. In relation to that, cooperation between universities and industries becomes crucial," she emphasized.
The collaboration between the university and industry was established through an agreement signed at the Faculty of Agriculture's Meeting Room, IPB Dramaga Campus, recently.
The agreement was signed by the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at IPB University, Prof Suryo Wiyono, and the Chairman of Aseibssindo, Ayub A Fina, SH, MH, MARS. This collaboration will last for five years and involve lecturers from various departments within the Faculty of Agriculture at IPB University, including the Departments of Agronomy and Horticulture, Plant Protection, and Soil Science and Land Resources. (*/Rz) (IAAS/DSR)
