Jayapura (ANTARA) - Acting Papua Governor Muhammad Ridwan Rumasukun handed over five tons of rice reserves to the Biak Numfor District Government to be then distributed to families with children being at risk of stunted growth in the district.

Biak Numfor is noted to continue to accelerate stunting alleviation over the past years, he said in a press statement that ANTARA received here Sunday.

"I would like to appreciate the implementation of the Foster Father Program in Biak Numfor District. According to the latest data, the number of stunting cases in Biak ranks sixth nationally," he said.

The acting governor further said provincial, district, and city governments in Papua share responsibility to handle the stunting cases in their collective endeavors to create members of Indonesia's golden generation by 2045.

"Bearing that in mind, I would like to invite all relevant parties to provide full support for the district head and his deputy in their efforts to accelerate stunting alleviation in Biak Numfor," he stated.

The distribution of rice reserves shows the government's care for efforts to lower stunting prevalence, he said.

According to the Health Ministry's 2021 Indonesian Nutritional Status Survey (SSGI), Papua's stunting prevalence stood at 29.5 percent. However, in 2022, the rate increased to 34.6 percent, he said.

In addressing the cases of children with stunted growth in the province, he reiterated his appeal to all relevant parties in the province to help the government achieve the target of reducing the number of stunted children.

To this end, all regional leaders in eight districts and one city in Papua Province should designate stunting alleviation as a priority program, he affirmed.

Related news: Papua intensively distributing food aid to prevent stunting
Related news: Ministry asks SW Papua to bolster collaboration for stunting reduction

Translator: Qadri Pratiwi, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2023