JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Economists are raising concerns about the viability of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s program launched this year to combat child nutrition. According to an Indonesian Ministry of Health Nutritional Status Study report, 21.6% of children ages 3 and 4 experienced stunting caused by malnutrition in 2022.
The first stage of the Free Nutritious Meal Program, extending through March, aims to provide around 20 million Indonesian school children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers with meals to improve their health and prevent stunting. This significant initiative is part of a broader strategy to enhance child nutrition in East Asia.
The effort was initially projected to cost $28 billion over five years. However, Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan stated on Jan. 9 during a food security meeting that the $4.4 billion budgeted for this year will run out in June, necessitating an additional $8.5 billion to fund the program through December.
Support for the program has been expressed by China, Japan, the United States, and India, although the specifics of the financial assistance remain unclear. Japan and India have indicated their support will come in the form of training.
Officials plan to implement the program in stages, eventually reaching 83 million people — more than a quarter of Indonesia’s 280 million population — by 2029, according to Muhammad Qodari, deputy chief of the presidential staff, who spoke to reporters on Feb. 3. This initiative is part of a long-term strategy to develop the nation’s youth and achieve a “Golden Indonesia” generation, referring to a plan to make Indonesia a sovereign, advanced, and prosperous nation by its 2045 centennial.
The program’s cost could make Prabowo politically vulnerable, as noted by Dinna Prapto Raharja, a professor of international relations at Jakarta’s Bina Nusantara University and a senior policy adviser at Jakarta consulting firm Synergy Policies. “In order to finance this program, Prabowo has taken steps to implement major cutbacks in his government budget with some ministries seeing 50% cuts,” Dinna stated.
The Finance Ministry indicated that spending cuts would amount to $18.7 billion, or 8% of this fiscal year’s approved spending. While other nations have pledged their support, officials from the National Nutrition Agency — which manages the program — have yet to begin internal discussions about the level of foreign aid, type of assistance, and technical aspects of its implementation.
In November, China committed to supporting free nutritious meals but has not specified an amount. The Chinese Embassy in Jakarta did not respond to VOA requests for further information. It remains uncertain whether China’s financial assistance will take the form of a loan or grant.
The United States is providing training to Indonesian dairy farmers to support the program, which has increased the demand for locally produced milk. Deddy Fachrudin Kurniawan, CEO of Dairy Pro Indonesia and project leader of U.S. Dairy Export Council training, noted that Indonesia previously imported 84% of its milk and that demand will double because of the food program.
In January, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced Japan’s support for the meal program by helping the Indonesian government enhance its capability to combat childhood malnutrition. This includes training Indonesian cooks and sending Japanese chefs to assist. Prabowo added that Japan will also aid in improving the fishery and agriculture sectors, leveraging Japan’s expertise.
More recently, India reaffirmed its support for the program by sharing knowledge from the Food Corporation of India and other institutions with Indonesian officials. Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized India’s experiences in health and food security, including the [free] lunch scheme and public [service] distribution system.
Support from other countries, such as France and Brazil, was expressed during the recent G20 Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Prabowo instructed his team to arrange a visit of an Indonesian delegation to Brazil to learn from the South American country’s similar program. France intends to share its expertise and assist Indonesia in modernizing its agricultural sector.
Teuku Rezasyah, an associate professor of international relations at Bandung’s Universitas Padjajaran, highlighted that India exported 20,000 metric tons of water buffalo meat to Indonesia last year, while Brazil exported 100,000 metric tons of beef. British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Reynar showed interest in supporting Prabowo during her meeting in London last November, though the specifics of the UK’s support remain unclear.
Mohammad Faisal, executive director of the Center of Reform on Economics, expressed concerns that countries offering support would have their own interests in mind. “I believe there’s no free lunch,” Faisal stated. “While the donations may be partly altruistic, donor countries may also expect benefits such as easier investments in Indonesia and better market access as a reward.” Rezasyah agreed, noting that donor countries likely hope Indonesia will import more products from them to support this multibillion-dollar supplemental food program.
