La Gelo, a farmer from Suneri Village, Yendidori District, Biak Numfor Regency, has experience in cultivating various leafy vegetables and tomatoes. In 2021, when Technical Field Officers (TFO) from YBTS provided on-site guidance, La Gelo became interested in trying his hand at growing true shallot seed using the Lokananta variety. Initially, he had doubts because he had never grown shallot before, and the cultivation process involved the germination of seeds, which took approximately 30 days. However, with intensive support from the TFO, La Gelo decided to start cultivating on a 500 m2 plot of land.

Through the transfer of knowledge regarding proper shallot cultivation practices and their implementation, coupled with meticulous care, he succeeded in getting optimal harvest results. On an area of ​​500 m2, La Gelo succeeded in getting a harvest of 800 kg of dry shallot bulbs. He sells the harvest at the market for IDR 45,000 per kg. He felt very happy because this harvest would be used to pay for his child’s education and meet the family’s needs.

“Growing shallots from seeds is not as difficult as I imagined. The maintenance is quite easy. I also didn’t expect to make it to harvest. I will continue to grow shallots from seeds because I think the shallots will bring blessings to me,” remarked La Gelo.