Jakarta. The government does not plan to import food to fulfill President Prabowo Subianto’s campaign promise to provide free lunches to all Indonesian school children, according to Cooperative Minister Budi Arie Setiadi.

There are only a few months left until the government officially launches the free school meals program in January. Prabowo’s cabinet has also made preparations, from numerous meetings to deployment audits, to ensure the program can run smoothly once it officially launches. Preparing nutritious meals for countless students requires a large budget and also a lot of ingredients. However, the government plans to use entirely local ingredients in the preparation of meals.

“This program involves multiple sources, such as the supply of milk, eggs, meat, vegetables, etc. So we need to do this together. … It is our commitment not to allow any imported components (in the school meal programme), Budi told media in Jakarta on Tuesday .

To reduce imports, the government plans to involve cooperatives in accomplishing this mammoth task. Cooperatives generally refer to businesses owned and operated by members who jointly share the benefits. Government data shows there are 130,119 cooperatives in operation in Indonesia by 2023. Budi said these businesses will help supply the ingredients needed to prepare meals and prepare lunches.

“We will also have some of these cooperatives distribute lunches to schools,” Budi said.

He continued: “It would be better if we use the eggs, potatoes, carrots and vegetables produced by our people, especially those in rural areas. Therefore, if possible, we should not import in this program.”

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