JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Indonesian government has initiated an ambitious initiative aimed at combating malnutrition that will benefit nearly 90 million children and pregnant women. This extensive program, named the Free Nutritious Meal initiative, is projected to incur costs of around $28 billion by the year 2029. However, some critics are raising concerns about whether such a scheme is financially viable.
President Prabowo Subianto, who has been in office since last year, has pledged to address the issue of malnutrition and stunting, which impacts approximately 21.5% of children under the age of five in Indonesia. Alongside this, the program is designed to help increase the income of farmers across the nation, which has a population of over 282 million and is the largest economy in Southeast Asia.
Subianto is focused on enhancing the country’s GDP growth from the current rate of 5% to 8%. In his inaugural address, he highlighted the serious issue of child malnutrition, reiterating his promise of providing free school lunches and milk to around 83 million students attending more than 400,000 educational institutions. The ultimate goal is to cultivate a well-nourished generation, referred to as “Golden Indonesia” by the year 2045.
In addressing the pressing need, Subianto remarked, “Too many of our brothers and sisters are below the poverty line; too many of our children go to school without breakfast and do not have clothes for school.” His strategic program could accumulate costs of about 450 trillion rupiah (approximately $28 billion) by the end of his term in 2029. The President has asserted that his administration is capable of managing such expenses and has conducted calculations to support this initiative.
The government plans to initially serve 19.5 million schoolchildren and pregnant women by 2025, with an allocated budget of 71 trillion rupiah (around $4.3 billion). This approach aims to keep the annual budget deficit below the legally mandated limit of 3% of GDP, explained Dadan Hindayana, the head of the National Nutrition Agency. Hindayana noted that funding will enable the acquisition of approximately 6.7 million tons of rice, along with significant quantities of chicken, beef, fish, vegetables, fruit, and milk.
The free meal program will engage nearly 2,000 cooperatives to supply eggs, vegetables, rice, fish, meat, milk, and various other food items, as detailed by Cooperative Minister Budi Arie Setiadi. On its launch day, a food delivery truck made its way to SD Cilangkap 08, an elementary school located in the Jakarta satellite city of Depok. The 740 students there enjoyed a meal consisting of rice, stir-fried vegetables, tempeh, chicken, and oranges.
Hindayana stated, “We will send a team to each school to facilitate the meal distribution to students every day,” emphasizing the program will deliver one meal daily to students from early childhood through high school, meeting a third of their daily caloric requirements without any cost to the families.
Nonetheless, the initiative has faced scrutiny from financial experts and investors concerning the logistical challenges, potential strain on the state’s finances, and connections to industrial lobbying interests. Researcher Nailul Huda from the Center of Economic and Law Studies expressed skepticism about Indonesia’s capacity to finance such a vast program, warning that it could lead to an increase in national debt.
“The burden on our state budget is too heavy if it is forced to reach 100% of the target recipients,” Huda cautioned, suggesting that this could make it difficult for Subianto’s administration to meet the ambitious 8% economic growth target. He added that the initiative could further complicate the country’s already significant dependence on imports for essentials like rice, wheat, and various dairy and meat products.
Reni Suwarso, director of the Institute for Democracy, Security and Strategic Studies, highlighted the slow progress in reducing the stunting rate in Indonesia, which has not met the ambitious target of a 14% reduction by 2024. Recent statistics indicate that while the national stunting rate has dropped slightly to 21.5%, significant challenges remain. The United Nations Children’s Fund has reported that one in twelve Indonesian children under five suffers from low weight, and one in five is shorter than the average height, both conditions resulting from malnourishment.
Suwarso concluded, “That’s so bad and must be solved. Child malnourishment has severe consequences, threatening the health and long-term development of infants and young children throughout this nation.”
