Economists raise concern over sustainability of Indonesian meal program

JAKARTA, INDONESIA — 

Economists are raising concerns astir the viability of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s programme launched this twelvemonth to combat kid 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 successful 2022.

The archetypal signifier of the Free Nutritious Meal Program, extending done March, is intended to supply astir 20 cardinal Indonesian schoolhouse children, large women and breastfeeding mothers meals to amended their wellness and forestall stunting.

The effort was initially projected to outgo $28 cardinal implicit 5 years. However, Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan said connected Jan. 9 during a gathering connected nutrient information that the $4.4 cardinal budgeted for this twelvemonth volition tally retired successful June and that $8.5 cardinal much volition beryllium requested to money the programme done December.

China, Japan, the United States and India person expressed enactment for the program, though it is unclear however overmuch wealth volition beryllium provided oregon what signifier that enactment volition take. Japan and India person said their assistance volition beryllium successful the signifier of training.

Officials program to instrumentality the programme successful stages, yet reaching 83 cardinal radical — much than a 4th of Indonesia’s 280 cardinal colonisation — by 2029, Muhammad Qodari, lawman main of the statesmanlike unit told reporters connected Feb. 3.

The programme is portion of a semipermanent strategy to make the nation’s younker to execute a “Golden Indonesia” generation, referring to a program to marque Indonesia a sovereign, precocious and prosperous federation by its 2045 centennial.

The program's outgo could marque Prabowo politically vulnerable, according to Dinna Prapto Raharja, a prof of planetary relations astatine Jakarta’s Bina Nusantara University and a elder argumentation advisor astatine Jakarta consulting steadfast Synergy Policies.

“In bid to concern this program, Prabowo has taken steps to instrumentality large cutbacks successful his authorities fund with immoderate ministries seeing 50% cuts,” Dinna said.

“Now helium is forced to question fiscal assistance from overseas sources.” she told VOA connected Jan. 31.

The Finance Ministry said the spending cuts would magnitude to $18.7 billion, 8% of this fiscal year’s approved spending.

While different nations said they would enactment the program, officials from the National Nutrition Agency — which manages the programme — said interior talks astir the level of overseas aid, benignant of assistance and method aspects of its implementation person not begun.

Support from China, Japan, US and India

In November, China committed to supporting escaped nutritious meals but did not pledge a circumstantial amount.

The Chinese Embassy successful Jakarta did not respond to VOA requests for further accusation connected the worth and signifier of the assistance. It remains unclear whether China’s fiscal assistance volition beryllium successful the signifier of a indebtedness oregon grant.

The United States is providing grooming to Indonesian dairy farmers to enactment the program, which has accrued the request for locally produced milk. Indonesia, truthful far, tin supply beverage lone 2 to 3 times a week to schoolhouse children, according to Deddy Fachrudin Kurniawan, CEO of Dairy Pro Indonesia and task person of U.S. Dairy Export Council training.

Deddy told VOA connected Jan. 8 that Indonesia has had to import 84% of its beverage successful the past, and that request volition treble due to the fact that of the nutrient program.

In January, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced Japan volition enactment the repast programme by helping the Indonesian authorities summation its quality to combat puerility malnutrition.

Ishiba offered Japan’s enactment by grooming Indonesian cooks and sending Japanese chefs to assist. Prabowo added that Japan volition besides assistance successful improving the fishery and agriculture sectors, based connected Japan’s experience.

More recently, India reaffirmed enactment for the programme done the sharing of cognition of the government’s Food Corporation of India and different institutions with Indonesian officials.

“India shares its experiences successful the fields of wellness and nutrient security, including the [free] luncheon strategy and nationalist [service] organisation strategy to the Indonesia government,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said connected his YouTube transmission connected Jan. 25.

Other enactment and reaction

Other countries person said they enactment the program. France and Brazil expressed their enactment connected the sidelines of the caller G20 Leaders Summit successful Rio de Janeiro.

Prabowo instructed his squad to put a sojourn of an Indonesian delegation to Brazil to instrumentality notes from the South American country's akin program. France, which has a akin schoolhouse feeding program, intends to stock its expertise and assistance Indonesia modernize its cultivation sector.

Teuku Rezasyah, an subordinate prof of planetary relations astatine Bandung’s Universitas Padjajaran, noted that India exported 20,000 metric tons of h2o buffalo nutrient to Indonesia past twelvemonth portion Brazil exported 100,000 metric tons of beef to Indonesia.

British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Reynar showed akin involvement during her gathering with Prabowo successful London successful November. However, it remains unclear what benignant of enactment the U.K volition offer.

Mohammad Faisal, enforcement manager of the Center of Reform connected Economics, told VOA successful Jakarta connected Jan. 31 that countries offering enactment volition person their ain interests successful mind, arsenic well.

“I judge there’s nary escaped lunch,” Faisal said. “The donations whitethorn beryllium partially altruistic, but not entirely. Donor countries see it arsenic strengthening bilateral ties, but they whitethorn besides expect to reap the benefits successful the future, specified arsenic enjoying easiness of investing successful Indonesia done incentives and getting amended penetration of export markets arsenic a reward.”

Rezasyah agreed.

“Donor countries are astir apt hoping Indonesia volition import much products from their countries to enactment this multibillion-dollar supplemental nutrient program,” helium said. “On the different hand, they spot Indonesia becoming a mediate powerfulness that could lend to uncovering solutions to planetary affairs.”