Central Java has become one of the 12 provinces in Indonesia with the highest prevalence of stunting, which has made it a priority for the reduction effort.
Semarang, Central Java (ANTARA) - Central Java has joined regions with the highest prevalence of stunting in Indonesia, head of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN), Hasto Wardoyo, said at an event here on Tuesday.

"Central Java has become one of the 12 provinces in Indonesia with the highest prevalence of stunting, which has made it a priority for the reduction effort," he informed.

While outlining the Indonesia Stunting Rate Reduction Acceleration National Action Plan, he said that, in Central Java, there are still 19 districts and cities with a stunting percentage of 20–30 percent.

Moreover, 15 districts and cities have a stunting prevalence of 10–20 percent, he informed.

According to Wardoyo, there is only one region in Central Java with a stunting prevalence of below 10 percent, namely Grobogan district.

The government is aiming to reduce the number of stunting cases by 14 percent by 2024, he said.

"Hence, there should be a reduction by 3.4 percent on average per year," he elaborated.

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The national action plan to reduce the incidence of stunting has been prepared, he said. BKKBN has prepared data on the population that will be targeted in efforts to prevent the emergence of stunting, he informed.

The data, which shows how many targets there are and who they are, can be requested from the agency, he said. Wardoyo further said that he is optimistic that the national target will be achieved by Central Java.

There is no region in Central Java where stunting prevalence has climbed above 30 percent, and the gap between the regions is relatively low, he pointed out.

"This national action plan is the effort to handle it upstream to prevent new stunting cases," he informed.

Meanwhile, Semarang Mayor Hendrar Prihadi said that the budget for handling stunting in Central Java's capital city has reached Rp6.7 billion.

The budget has been allocated for the provision of nutrition to 1,367 infants, he added.

"Next year, it is expected that the (allocation) figure will decline," Prihadi said.

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Translator: Immanuel Citra, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Suharto
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