Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the National Nutrition Agency, Dadan Hindayana, has described the Indonesian Military (TNI) and cooperatives formed by village-owned enterprises (BUMDes) as important partners for the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals program.
"One of the partners in operations and policies to prepare lands and others is TNI... meanwhile, others will also be highly involved, especially cooperatives of BUMDes and other third parties," he said at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday.
Hindayana added that many collaborative efforts with other stakeholders are needed to make the free meals program a success, considering its national scope. He noted that the program targets under-five children, pregnant women, as well as students from elementary to high school levels. Thus, strong collaboration is needed for its implementation.
Baca juga: Berikut tiga kandidat ajudan Presiden Prabowo yang disiapkan TNI
To empower Indonesian communities, all food commodities used for the program are targeted to be sourced domestically, he added. The Free Nutritious Meals program is one of the work programs of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka for their 2024–2029 tenure.
The government formed the National Nutrition Agency in August 2024 to support the implementation of the program.
Baca juga: TNI AL sosialisasikan batas wilayah RI-Australia ke nelayan
While presiding over a plenary cabinet session at the Presidential Palace here on Wednesday, President Prabowo urged all agencies and ministries to collaborate to make the Free Nutritious Meals program a success.
He even told ministers and agency heads to resign if they do not support the program. The President said that providing nutritious meals is a highly strategic program. He also expressed optimism that under his leadership, the government will be able to manage and allocate resources to meet the program's goals.
