“Next year we will provide MBG meals to 82.9 million beneficiaries. If we give one egg a day, we will need 82.9 million eggs. If we provide fish, we will need 82.9 million pieces of fish,” he said at the 2025 National Fish Day event in Jakarta on Sunday.
To meet these needs, the government is exploring potential sources of protein. He said that without new supplies and amid rising demand, market prices for protein could increase.
The government is therefore assessing region-specific protein options, noting diverse traditional food preferences in Papua, Sumatra, and other regions.
Hasan said these variations could help meet the protein requirements of the MBG program.
“In Sumatra, people may prefer fish, in Papua, they eat different types of food, and in Java, they also have other protein preferences. We have organized this, and we will present Indonesia’s food diversity,” he said.
On the occasion, the minister also announced Indonesia’s goal of achieving protein self-sufficiency by 2026.
He emphasized the critical role of protein in improving the nation’s intelligence, particularly for younger generations currently in school.
Citing intelligence quotient (IQ) comparisons, he noted that average IQ levels in developed countries are above 109 points, while Indonesia’s average IQ remains in the 90s.
To reach the level of developed nations, he said Indonesia must improve its efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency, especially in protein.
“We must be self-sufficient and then provide it to our younger generation, so they can grow smarter. Their nutrition and IQ will improve,” Hasan said.
To mark the 12th National Fish Day in 2025, the Directorate General of Strengthening the Competitiveness of Marine and Fishery Products is preparing a series of activities under the theme “Fish Protein for the Golden Generation of 2045.”
The theme aligns with President Prabowo Subianto’s vision in the 2025–2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) and the second Astacita, which highlights national independence through self-sufficiency in food, energy, and water, along with efforts to strengthen the creative, green, and blue economies.
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Translator: Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Primayanti
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