Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s program to provide free meals to millions of his people has been launched with an estimated cost of 71 trillion rupiah (US$4.39 billion) for this year.
Despite being the centerpiece of an election campaign that catapulted Prabowo to power last year, the scheme was rolled out with little fanfare on Monday, with no official launch and just 190 kitchens involved in preparing the first meals to school children and pregnant women in more than 20 provinces.
The free meal plan will be a Herculean logistical effort when in full swing, with a target by 2029 of reaching 82.9 million of the country’s 280 million population.
Prabowo’s signature policy has been controversial, however, with previous estimates of its cost of $28 billion over five years triggering concern among some economists that it could dent Indonesia’s hard-won reputation for fiscal prudence.
Prabowo has defended the program and last month described it as strategic in countering child malnutrition and spurring growth in Indonesia’s economy at regional level. It is estimated to cost 71 trillion rupiah in its first stage this year, providing meals for 15 million people.
At an elementary school in West Jakarta, staff carried food trays to class and students picked them up one by one, finding rice, fried chicken, fried tofu, beans, and an orange.
Hana Yohana, a parent of a first grader, said she hoped the program continues as it made her morning routine easier.
“Thank God, this helps us. We normally had to work hard preparing food every morning, and now we don’t,” she said.
The government and military, who will help prepare and distribute the meals, have been running pilot programs where they have handed out trays of food including rice, chicken and milk.
The number of meal recipients will gradually expand to 3 million by March and more throughout the year, according to Dedek Prayudi, a spokesperson for Prabowo’s office.
Dedek said milk would be given but not every day. Indonesia has imported dairy cows from Australia to boost milk production.
