Indonesia prepares 3 bln USD additional budget to expand free nutritious meal program

JAKARTA, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia is preparing an additional budget of 50 trillion Indonesian rupiahs (about 3 billion U.S. dollars) to implement President Prabowo Subianto's ambitious free nutritious meal program, according to the National Nutrition Agency.

The agency's chief, Dadan Hindayana, said on Friday that the government is preparing the supplementary budget through a presidential regulation.

"We are now preparing the mechanism (for the additional budget) first to accelerate the program's implementation," Hindayana stated. He added that President Prabowo sees the need to expand the program's beneficiary coverage, making acceleration essential.

Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan previously noted that the government is drafting a presidential regulation to expedite the free meal initiative, targeting 82.9 million recipients by 2029.

Hasan emphasized that the regulation will outline strategies, the number of participating schools, management protocols, nutrition fulfillment service units, and the responsibilities of relevant ministries.

Launched in early January, the program is already operational across 38 provinces in Indonesia. It is one of Prabowo's key initiatives, aiming to enhance nutrition for children under five, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and schoolchildren up to high school level.

This year, the government has allocated 71 trillion rupiahs (4.1 billion dollars) for the program, targeting 17.9 million beneficiaries. ■