Tulungagung \u2013 Whilst most farmers in Tulungagung Regency, East Java,\nchoose to postpone planting when heavy rain falls, some others take the\nrisk instead: planting shallots in the middle of wet weather\nconditions.<\/p>\n
On horticulture land prone to waterlogging, such a decision is often\ndescribed as a bold gamble with uncertain results. Nevertheless, behind\nit lies technical calculation and market analysis that is far from\nsimple.<\/p>\n
This scene is visible in the rice fields of Podorejo and Junjung\nVillages, Sumbergempol District. A number of female labourers plant\nseedlings in holes on ridged beds covered with plastic mulch. Meanwhile,\nin another plot, mature shallot clusters are lifted onto the field\nridges ready for harvest.<\/p>\n
This landscape marks the fact that Tulungagung\u2019s shallot production\ncentre has not completely declined, whilst many shallot farmers have\n\u201ccollapsed\u201d and switched to rice and food crops deemed to carry less\nrisk.<\/p>\n
Data from Tulungagung\u2019s Agricultural Office shows that throughout\n2025, shallot cultivation area reached 228.70 hectares, with harvest\narea of 219.70 hectares.<\/p>\n
Total production was recorded at 2,151 tonnes, with average\nproductivity of 103.20 quintals per hectare, or approximately 10.3\ntonnes per hectare (productivity figure averaged across 11 districts\nwith shallot horticulture farming).<\/p>\n
Production distribution is concentrated in several districts.\nSumbergempol is the largest centre, with a cultivation area of 80\nhectares and production of 5,920 quintals.<\/p>\n
Followed by Rejotangan with 51 hectares and production of 5,490\nquintals, and Ngunut with 27 hectares and production of 2,700\nquintals.<\/p>\n
The highest productivity was recorded in Campurdarat, reaching 201.20\nquintals per hectare, far above the regency average.<\/p>\n
From January to February 2026, 16 hectares of land re-entered the\nplanting season across six districts, including Sumbergempol, Kalidawir,\nRejotangan, Bandung, Pakel and Gondang.<\/p>\n
With prices ranging around Rp25,000 per kilogram, the economic value\nof rotating shallot crops can reach approximately Rp3.6 billion in just\none two-month cycle.<\/p>\n
Nationally, shallots are a strategic commodity. Data from the Central\nStatistics Agency shows national production is stable at around 1.9\u20132\nmillion tonnes per year.<\/p>\n
The National Food Agency frequently includes shallots as a commodity\nthat triggers inflation when supply is disrupted. This means that\nharvest dynamics in regions such as Tulungagung contribute to broader\nprice stability.<\/p>\n
However, farming shallots during rainy seasons like now carries\nsignificant risk. High rainfall triggers waterlogging, root rot, and\ndisease outbreaks such as moler (fusarium).<\/p>\n
The experience of the previous season (2025) was a costly lesson for\nfarmers still using flat land patterns without adequate drainage. Once\nroots are submerged and soil pores become saturated, oxygen supply is\ndisrupted and bulbs rapidly rot.<\/p>\n
Ridged beds and mulch<\/p>\n
For shallot farmers in Tulungagung committed to the crop, the rainy\nseason is no longer merely a phase of risk, but rather a phase demanding\ntechnical innovation.<\/p>\n
The crop failure in the previous season (2025) experienced by some\nshallot farmers in Junjung Village due to not using ridged bed\ntechnology marked a turning point.<\/p>\n
At that time, some land was still managed with flat patterns, without\nadequate drainage systems. Heavy rainfall caused water to stagnate for\nhours, even days.<\/p>\n
Shallow shallot roots could not withstand saturated soil conditions,\nespecially without deep drainage channels to help water drain away.<\/p>\n
Andi Daniar, an agronomist from Blitar who also practises shallot\nfarming directly, explained that rainy season ridged beds should ideally\nbe constructed 30\u201340 centimetres high with width adjusted to planting\ndistance. Meanwhile, drainage channels between them should be deep\nenough to contain rainwater runoff.<\/p>\n
The principle is simple. Water must have a way out. If water sits\naround the roots for more than a few hours, infection risk\nincreases.<\/p>\n
Physiologically, shallots require good soil aeration. When soil pores\nare completely filled with water, oxygen diffusion is obstructed.<\/p>\n
Roots experience hypoxia stress, nutrient absorption is disrupted,\nand tissue becomes vulnerable to soil-borne pathogens such as\nfusarium.<\/p>\n
In extremely humid conditions, the fungus causing moler develops\nrapidly and attacks the tissue at the base of shallot plants, until the\nbulb rots.<\/p>\n
Deep drainage channels function as a rapid drainage system. Once rain\nceases, water from the ridged bed surface immediately flows into the\nchannel, not retained in the root zone.<\/p>\n
High ridged beds keep roots in a drier and more crumbly soil\nlayer.<\/p>\n
On top of the beds, some farmers install black-silver plastic mulch\n(BSPM). According to Andi, the function of mulch is more complex than\nmerely suppressing weeds.<\/p>\n
The plastic layer reduces direct contact between rainwater and soil,\nso soil splash that often carries disease spores to leaves can be\nminimised. Additionally, mulch helps maintain stable soil moisture and\nreduces nutrient leaching.<\/p>\n
Rainwater in some areas has slightly acidic properties. Without\nprotection, high rainfall can accelerate leaching of calcium, magnesium,\nand other nutrients, whilst also triggering soil pH fluctuation.<\/p>\n
With mulch, such effects are more controlled. Activity of beneficial\nmicro-organisms in the root zone is also relatively more stable because\nsoil temperature does not fluctuate excessively.<\/p>\n
For farmers with strong capital, the combination of deep drainage\nchannels and mulch becomes the minimum standard for the rainy season.\nFor those with limited resources, ditches and ridged beds alone are\nconsidered the main salvation, provided strict monitoring is carried\nout.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ridged-bed-and-mulch-strategy-the-struggle-behind-shallot-farmers-resilience-1773143621", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }