Indonesia has been categorized as a developed country but we still have to fight poverty and stuntingJakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia had been considered as a developed country, but the number of poor people and stunting was still high, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin stated. "Indonesia has been categorized as a developed country but we still have to fight poverty and stunting," Ma'ruf Amin said during a meeting with members of society at Balitong Resort, Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Belitung Islands Wednesday.
Government is still trying to decrease the poverty rate because a developed country is measured by people's welfare levels and the poverty rate, Ma'ruf Amin stated.
"We want to reduce the number of poor to zero if we can," he said.
The poverty rate in Indonesia reached 9.22 percent as of September 2019 based on the data of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). Government is attempting to reduce the poverty rate to between 7 and 6.5 percent by the end of 2024.
Besides, the national stunting rate dropped to 27.6 percent from 30.8 percent in 2018, the Vice President said.
However, the national stunting rate was still above the World Health Organization (WHO) ratio of a maximum of 20 percent.
"Nevertheless, the effort to reduce the stunting rate should be sought optimally because the target to accomplish is 14 percent (by the end of 2024) from 23 percent. We must be more determined to reduce it," the Vice President remarked.
The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded that the number of poor in September 2019 had totaled 24.79 million, plunging 0.44 percent as compared to 25.67 million people recorded during the corresponding period in 2018.
"As compared to March 2019, the number of poor people fell by 358.900, and as compared to September 2019, it decreased by 888.700," BPS Head Suhariyanto noted in Jakarta Wednesday.
On account of that reduction, the percentage of poor in September 2019 had reached 9.22 percent, as compared to 9.66 percent in September 2018.
The BPS records poverty rates twice a year, specifically in March and September.
Suhariyanto pointed to several factors, including an increase in the average nominal wage of farm workers per day in September 2019 that played an influential role in reducing the poor population in the country.
The increase in wages of farm laborers had reached 1.02 percent as compared to that in March 2019, from Rp53,873 to Rp54,424.
Furthermore, the average nominal wage of construction workers per day in September 2019 also increased by 0.49 percent as compared to March 2019, from Rp88,673 to Rp89,072. (INE)
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Translator: Fransiska, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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