Food Estate Failure Can Hamper Free Lunch Program

Photo Description: Failed Food Estate (doc Greenpeace)

JAKARTA The failure to implement the Food Estate is considered to be one of the obstacles to implementing the free lunch program in the Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka governments.

"Actually, it is realistic, maybe if for example all of them can be covered. But some areas that cannot be accessed are challenges in the next five years," said INDEF economic observer Nailul Huda, Sunday, May 19, 2024.

"Unless there was a food estate that worked. But right now it's still not enough. Try to take care of what is needed in the future," he continued.

He explained that food production that has not been stable has become very vulnerable to realizing the free lunch program. Moreover, the latest data shows that Indonesia imports up to 2 million tons of rice.

These imports, continued Nailul, do not include the need for the implementation of the free lunch program. Therefore, it can be ascertained that if the flagship program of the Prabowo and Gibran pairs starts running, the need for rice imports will also increase.

"Yesterday we imported almost 2 million tons more now 3 million tons. Moreover, later there will be a free lunch program, the need for food will be greater and the need for imports will be greater," concluded Nailul.