"We will have a demographic bonus in 13 years. Hence, family must be the foundation for forming quality members," Wardoyo noted in an official statement here on Tuesday.
The agency head emphasized that one of the efforts that should be made to build a quality family is to reduce the stunting rate to 14 percent in line with President Joko Widodo's direction.
Wardoyo, who was present at the inauguration of Head of Aceh Province BKKBN Representative Safrina Salim on Monday (Sept 11) at Meuligoe Aceh (Governor's Office), conveyed the importance of mutual cooperation and collaboration to achieve this target.
"With a convergence approach, social awareness, and mutual cooperation, we must believe that the stunting rate can be reduced to reach the national target of 14 percent," he remarked.
Apart from calling on stakeholders to increase collaboration, Wardoyo also urged families to utilize local potential in fulfilling family nutritional needs in an effort to accelerate stunting reduction.
"We can use local food, for example, by cultivating catfish, to fulfill family nutrition," he remarked.
Wardoyo emphasized that the BKKBN along with the Aceh Provincial Government will encourage greater efforts so as to reduce the prevalence of stunting in Aceh.
Based on the Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) by the Indonesian Ministry of Health in 2022, Aceh is the province with the fifth-highest prevalence of stunting in Indonesia, reaching 31.2 percent.
In the one-year period since 2021, where the stunting rate in Aceh Province reached 33.2 percent, that figure was only reduced by two percentage points.
This prevalence is still not on target, as it still exceeds the threshold set by the World Health Organization (WHO) standard of 20 percent.
Although the reduction is still inadequate, Wardoyo still commends the policies implemented by Acting Governor of Aceh Achmad Marzuki in the efforts to overcome stunting, especially regarding programs that involve all elements of the Aceh Government to increase efforts to reduce stunting.
"I am grateful and appreciate the steps taken by the acting governor of Aceh who immediately encouraged many parties to get involved as foster fathers and mothers for stunted children," he remarked.
Meanwhile, Acting Governor Marzuki expressed hope that stunting would be reduced while healthy lifestyles can continue to be improved in Aceh by continuing to collaborate and be involved with BKKBN in various efforts.
"I am ready to collaborate and fight together. We are given the opportunity to develop Aceh," Marzuki remarked.
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Translator: Lintang Budiyanti Prameswari, Katriana
Editor: Sri Haryati
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