He made the statement after FAO Director General Qu Dongyu presented the Agricola Medal, the highest global award in the food sector, to President Joko Widodo at the State Palace in Jakarta on Friday.
"The Director General recognized Indonesia's significant potential, expressing confidence that the country will continue to progress," Sulaiman remarked.
He noted that the FAO did not provide any recommendations or input for the program, which is scheduled to be officially launched on January 2 next year by the incoming administration of Prabowo and Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
Sulaiman stated that he is focused on supporting the development of food-producing agricultural sub-sectors, such as horticulture, plantations, livestock farming, and fisheries, to ensure the success of the Free Nutritious Meals Program.
Earlier, he affirmed his ministry's readiness to fully support the implementation of the program, which targets schoolchildren, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and toddlers.
He mentioned that the ministry would take measures to boost beef production and collaborate with major companies to advance downstream processing.
Sulaiman also emphasized the importance of involving business players to accelerate the implementation of the president-elect's innovative program.
However, he expressed hope that the ministry would be granted an additional budget of Rp68 trillion (US$4.3 billion) to fund efforts aimed at enhancing Indonesia's food production next year, including the creation of 1 million hectares of rice fields.
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Translator: Mentari D, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Anton Santoso
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