Minister seeks World Bank support for free meal program

Jakarta (ANTARA) –
Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, Yandri Susanto, has invited the World Bank to support the Free Nutritious Meals program.

“Villages have a lot of potential to make the nutritious meal program a success,” Susanto said in a press release issued by the ministry here on Thursday.

During a meeting with a delegation led by Anna Wellenstein, World Bank Regional Director for Sustainable Development in East Asia and the Pacific, in Jakarta, he emphasized that villages are well-suited to carry out the program because they grow many of the necessary food ingredients.

As a result, the program can boost the village economy and empower local communities, which could improve people’s welfare and reduce urbanization, Susanto added.

In addition to inviting the World Bank to support the program, he also encouraged the international financial institution to assist with other initiatives, such as achieving national self-sufficiency in food, energy, and water.

He further emphasized the country’s goal of advancing the downstreaming program and transforming disadvantaged villages into developed, self-sufficient communities.

“We want to elevate disadvantaged areas into advanced and independent villages,” Susanto said.

Meanwhile, Wellenstein expressed her support for President Prabowo’s priority programs, including food and energy self-sufficiency, downstreaming, and free meals.

The Free Nutritious Meals program, initiated by the Prabowo-Gibran administration, will cover 82.9 million people, including toddlers, pregnant women, and schoolchildren.

The National Nutrition Agency has designated village-owned enterprises and cooperatives to supply food for the program’s implementation in rural areas. Additionally, nutrition service units will be established to support the program in various regions.

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