Jakarta (ANTARA) - Population and Family Development Minister Wihaji has stated that the government's Free Nutritious Meals Program will play a crucial role in achieving the national target of reducing the stunting rate to 14 percent by 2029.

The program is considered vital as it specifically targets pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children under the age of two.

“We will work hard, especially through the Free Nutritious Meals Program, because one of the main causes of stunting is poor nutritional intake,” Wihaji said at the office of the Ministry of Population and Family Development in Jakarta on Monday.

He emphasized that, aside from the meals program, his ministry has also launched collaborative efforts with other ministries and government agencies. These partnerships are designed to accelerate stunting reduction through coordinated multi-sectoral involvement.

Wihaji also highlighted the Stunting Prevention Parents’ Movement (Genting) as one of the ministry’s key programs that has delivered rapid results. So far, the initiative has reached 157 thousand foster children across Indonesia.

On May 26, 2025, while launching the 2024 Nutritional Status Survey (SSGI), the Ministry of Health reported that the national stunting prevalence declined from 21.5 percent in 2023 to 19.8 percent in 2024.

The SSGI survey serves as a primary reference for strengthening efforts to reduce stunting nationwide.

In a statement released on May 27, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin reaffirmed the government’s commitment to lowering the stunting rate to 14.2 percent by 2029, in line with the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) target.

The Free Nutritious Meals Program is one of the flagship initiatives of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka for their 2024–2029 administration.

Through this program, the government aims to enhance the nutritional status of children under five, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and school-aged children up to the high school level.

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