"One of the priorities for village funds utilization can be used for efforts to prevent and reduce stunting according to village authority," the ministry's director of village and sociocultural and environmental development, Luthfy Latief, said at a webinar on Thursday.
Through Presidential Regulation Number 72 of 2021 concerning the Acceleration of Stunting Reduction, the government is targeting to lower the national stunting rate to 14 percent this year.
In 2023, stunting prevalence was recorded at 21.6 percent based on the Indonesian Health Survey (SKI), Latief noted.
Besides issuing the regulation, his party is also encouraging villages to mobilize all available resources to reduce stunting and also focus on preventing stunting.
"We must ensure villages' commitment and contribution, along with the availability of intervention services provided by the village," he added.
Related news: Village Fund utilization for Posyandu to prevent stunting: Minister
Latief further said that villages across the country will need the help of professional assistants in pursuing the target of stunting reduction this year.
Earlier, Minister of Population and Family Development, Wihaji, said that he will continue to prioritize stunting reduction in his work programs.
"President Prabowo Subianto instructed us to work for the country. Based on the data, we should start prioritizing the stunting problem," he informed.
According to Wihaji, stunting reduction is a process since it is related to human resource development. Efforts to reduce stunting would also depend on the data and problems in each region, which may differ from other regions, he added.
"Stunting (problem) requires a process. Most importantly, we should go to the field and check our potential and ability. Each region is different," he explained.
Besides stunting reduction, Wihaji said he will also prioritize family planning to produce a golden generation.
Related news: Population Minister Wihaji vows to focus on alleviating stunting
Translator: Tri Meilani A, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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