He added that the quality of the program will be improved periodically in the future, although in the initial stage, the government has only managed to allocate a budget of Rp10 thousand (around US$0.63) per person per day.
"Indeed, in the initial stage, only Rp50 trillion to Rp70 trillion in budget are available, but the government will continue to strive to increase it every year," Muhaimin informed here on Saturday.
According to him, the initial budget will apply in 2025, when the program will move out of the trial phase.
Although the budget is limited, he appealed to suppliers and government partners to help make the program a success by maintaining the quality of the food.
The quality standards must be maintained, he stressed, starting from the nutritional content to the expiration of the food, which must be properly controlled.
"So with that price, the quality of the food must still be maintained," he said.
As earlier reported, President Prabowo Subianto announced that the budget index for the Free Nutritious Meals program for children and pregnant women has been set at Rp10 thousand per child or pregnant woman per day.
He highlighted that the government is keen to allocate Rp15 thousand per person per day, but the current budget only allows for Rp10 thousand.
The trial phase of the free meals program has been carried out for almost a year in several regions of Indonesia, including West Java, Central Java, and Jakarta.
According to Head of the Presidential Communications Office Hasan Nasbi, with a maximum budget of Rp10 thousand, the program can provide meals with 600–700 calories per serving.
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Translator: Donny Aditra, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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