Shallot is a national strategic commodity in Indonesia, but it is development has a fundamental technical, socioeconomic, and policy support problems. Therefore, it is essential to know the competitiveness of shallot in Indonesia and the incentive policy to implement the comparative advantage to become a sustainable competitive advantage. The purposes of this study are to (1) analyze the profitability of shallot farming privately and socially, (2) analyze the competitiveness of shallot farming from a competitive and comparative advantage perspective, (3) review the impact of government policy on shallot farming, and (4) formulate incentive policies in the development of shallot commodities. The empirical results of the Policy Analysis Matrix revealed that shallot farming in production centers in Indonesia has both competitive and comparative advantages. The highest competitive and comparative advantages were found in the dry season in the upland of Malang district with the coefficient values of PCR (Private Cost Ratio) of 0.268–0.508 and DRCR (Domestic Resource Cost Ratio) of 0.208–0.323. The lowest competitive advantage was found in the lowland of East Lombok district in the dry season with a coefficient value of PCR 0.728–0.844. The lowest comparative advantage in the dry season was found in East Lombok district with a DRCR of 0.448, while in the rainy season, it was found in Wonosobo district with a DRCR of 0.522. These results mean that it is more profitable for Indonesia to increase domestic shallot production than to import. Improving shallot competitiveness can be carried out by implementing advanced technology, agricultural infrastructure, capacity building of farmers’ resources, and government incentive policies to increase productivity and competitiveness sustainability.

Indonesian chili faces some problems in increasing production, added value, and competitiveness of chili products, mainly in terms of quantity, quality, and continuity. The objectives of this study are (1) to analyze the private and social profitability of chili farming, (2) to analyze the chili competitiveness from both competitive and comparative advantage perspectives, (3) to examine government policy impact on chili performance, and (4) to formulate strategies to encourage chili development in Indonesia. The results of the policy analysis matrix revealed that chili farming in Indonesia’s production centers is profitable, both privately and socially. It also has competitiveness, both competitive and comparative advantages. The highest competitiveness occurs in Bandung district, West Java, with a coefficient of private cost ratio (PCR) of 0.416 and a domestic resource cost ratio (DRCR) of 0.269. Meanwhile, the lowest competitiveness occurs in Tabalong district, South Kalimantan, with a PCR coefficient of 0.857 and a DRCR of 0.556. This study also concluded that for Indonesia, it is more profitable to increase domestic chili production than importing from abroad. Strategic policies for chili development can be implemented by using hybrid seeds, complete and balanced fertilization, improving irrigation infrastructure and farming roads, increasing the capacity of farmers’ resources, and expanding the objectives and market segments.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the factors influencing Indonesian farmers’ use of the warehouse receipt system (WRS) and their choice of private and public warehouses.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data were collected through questionnaires administered to 500 farmers in two districts, Subang and Cianjur, in West Java Province in Indonesia. Binary logit regression was employed to examine the factors influencing farmers’ use of the WRS. Binary and bivariate probit regressions were employed to determine the factors influencing farmers’ choice of private and public warehouses.FindingsThe empirical results of the binary logit regression revealed that age, land ownership, selling price, the use of the warehouse receipt as collateral security and the availability of transportation facility positively influenced farmers’ use of the WRS, whereas education, income, farm profit and participation in farmers’ group negatively influenced farmers’ use of the WRS. The results of the binary probit regressions revealed that profit, availability of insurance and processing facility positively influenced the farmers’ decision to use the private WRS, whereas education, production, selling price and distance from the farm to the warehouse negatively influenced farmers’ decision to use the private WRS. Age, education, selling price and distance from the farm to the warehouse positively influenced the farmers’ decision to use the public WRS, whereas production and availability of processing facility negatively influenced the decision of farmers to use the public WRS.Practical implicationsThis study highlights the importance of education and government assistance regarding the provision of facilities and price indemnified insurance for successful implementation of the WRS.Originality/valueThis study provides an empirical contribution to the existing literature on the development of WRS in Indonesia. In terms of methods of analysis, previous studies used purely qualitative and descriptive methods, whereas this study employed econometric techniques (i.e. binary logit, binary probit and bivariate probit regressions) to examine the WRS in Indonesia. In addition, whereas previous studies explored the WRS in general, this study investigated the farmers’ use of the public and private warehouses in addition to exploring the WRS in general. Finally, the finding that the average annual profit of non-users was significantly higher than that of the users of the WRS is striking, and this could be attributed to the current challenges of the implementation of the WRS, including high transportation and warehouse rental costs.

This study assessed farmers’ perceptions of the warehouse receipt system (WRS) in the West Java Province in Indonesia. Primary data were collected from 500 farmers through questionnaire administration. The results of the weighted average index revealed that there was a strong perception that the WRS is not well known, provides easy access to credit, and limited access for smallholder farmers. Moreover, there was a weak perception that the WRS has complicated regulations and slowed delivery of warehouse receipts. The main problems include lack of awareness, lack of facilities and limited access for smallholders. The implications for improving the implementation of the WRS are presented.

This study assessed the factors influencing the frequency of purchases of locally-produced rice using data collected from a sample of 400 consumers in Jakarta Province in Indonesia. The empirical results of a Poisson regression model revealed that socio-economic characteristics of the consumers (i.e., gender, age, occupation, education, and income), characteristics of the product (i.e., label and color), and the product’s price and promotion significantly influenced consumers’ frequency of purchasing locally-produced rice. The implication is that increasing the quality of locally-produced rice, applying an appropriate marketing strategy such as offering a relatively lower-priced product compared to the price of imported rice, and product promotion are necessary for increasing the frequency of consumers’ purchases of locally-produced rice.