Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Population and Family Development/ Head of National Population and Family Planning Agency, Wihaji, has emphasized that his ministry will make stunting alleviation a priority in its work program under the directive of President Prabowo Subianto.
Speaking in Jakarta on Tuesday, he underlined that stunting alleviation is not a goal that can be achieved instantly as it involves rolling out processes to support the development of human resources and the identification of measures, adjusted to the conditions and problems faced by different regions.
Baca juga: Perlu kerja sama lintas sektor dalam tangani stunting
"Stunting (alleviation) takes time. I believe that we need to directly assess the differing potential and capacity of each region," he affirmed.
The minister informed that his office will also pay special attention to programs oriented toward promoting family planning to help create a golden generation in Indonesia.
"It is vital that we continue promoting family planning and pursuing family development to produce a golden generation, which relies on the quality of human resources. Therefore, we need to take measures to deal with human-related issues," he said.
Baca juga: Wamenduk sebut pentingnya ASI eksklusif
Indonesia has witnessed a considerable decline in national stunting prevalence in the last half a decade, with the rate dropping from 30.8 percent in 2018 to 21.5 percent in 2023.
In Presidential Regulation No.72 of 2021 concerning the acceleration of stunting alleviation, the 7th president Joko Widodo set a target to lower national stunting prevalence to at least 14 percent by this year.
The current government led by President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has proposed the Free Nutritious Meals program, which is expected to be fully implemented next year, as one of the instruments for preventing stunting among children.
The National Nutrition Agency has also been established to implement the program, which will not only target schoolchildren but also toddlers as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women.