Prabowo: Free Nutrition Eating Program Saves The Nation's Future

President-elect Prabowo Subianto with the General Chairperson of the PKB DPP Muhaimin Iskandar after attending the PKB Legislative National Coordination Meeting in Jakarta, Thursday (10/10/2024). (ANTARA/Rio Feisal)

JAKARTA - President-elect in the 2024 General Election Prabowo Subianto said the free nutritious food program realized in his government will aim to save the future of the Indonesian nation.

"So, this eating problem is not a problem to be liked, seek popularity, no. This is a strategic problem," Prabowo said while attending the PKB Legislative National Coordination Meeting in Jakarta, Thursday, October 10.

According to the Minister of Defense, if Indonesian children are malnourished, they cannot compete with fellow nation's children or the world.

"Never mind competing in universities, in places where technology is needed, to become a farmer, maybe he can't afford it. Even to become a port worker, he loses to workers from other countries because his body is not strong," he said.

Therefore, Prabowo emphasized that the free nutritious food program for him is a strategic thing that will be implemented.

Previously, the Head of the National Nutrition Agency Dadan Hindayana stated that the free nutritious food program would spend a budget of IDR 800 billion per day.

According to Dadan, the program will reach up to 82.9 million recipients and cost a budget of IDR 400 trillion if fully implemented.

"If this program is already running, the National Nutrition Agency will spend IDR 1.2 trillion every day for investment in human resources (human resources, ed.) in the future. About 75 percent of the IDR 1.2 trillion is for free nutritious food intervention, approximately IDR 800 billion every day", Dadan said when met after the 2024 BNI Investor Daily Summit in Jakarta, Tuesday (8/10).