Ismail Syamsudin, a farmer from Warsansan Village, North Biak District, Biak Numfor Regency, relies on the proceeds from vegetable farming to support his wife and three children. Ismail takes great pleasure in cultivating curly chili plants, specifically Kastillo F1. He admits to choosing to grow this commodity because the quality of the Kastillo F1 chilies is generally favored and accepted in the market, and they fetch a profitable selling price.

In 2022, alongside the YBTS field staff (Technical Field Officer), Ismail cultivated curly chilies on a 500 m2 demo plot and successfully yielded a harvest of up to 1 ton, resulting in a net profit of IDR 15,000,000. Of course, he was very pleased with the results and plans to expand his cultivation on a larger plot of land in the future. He uses the harvest to meet the needs of his family and support his children’s education.

“For me, farming is a life choice. I have never regretted it. My family’s needs are met through farming. I want to continue learning because, for me, learning is a lifelong journey. Thank you, Yayasan Bina Tani Sejahtera; may you continue to be a guiding light for the farmers in Papua,” he concluded.