"It is a concern of Mr. Prabowo (President-elect); what must be done is increasing the government food reserves," Bapanas head Arief Prasetyo Adi said here on Friday.
Efforts to improve the connection between food production and nutritional fulfillment have been initiated by integrating the offices of Bapanas and the National Nutrition Agency under the leadership of Dadan Hindayana as the head of the National Nutrition Agency.
According to him, a special deputy has been prepared to handle the issues of food and nutritional insecurity. The deputy has been tasked with supporting Hindayana's work at the agency.
The Bapanas head emphasized the importance of collaboration between the two agencies considering that nutrition is a crucial aspect for addressing food insecurity.
To bolster the role of Bapanas, he said, the government has issued Law Number 18 of 2021 on Food and the Presidential Regulation Number 66 of 2021 on the Formation of the National Nutrition Agency.
Those regulations mandate the delegation of several authorities from a number of ministries, including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Trade, and the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises.
To tackle nutritional issues, President-elect Prabowo and Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who will be inaugurated on October 20, have proposed the Free Nutritious Meals Program as one of the work programs of their 2024–2029 tenure.
In August 2024, the government formed the National Nutrition Agency to support the implementation of the program.
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Translator: Andi F, Rangga P, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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