Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday commended the National Police for their active involvement in Indonesia’s free nutritious meal program and corn cultivation projects, initiatives aimed at advancing the government’s food self-sufficiency goals.

Prabowo described the police’s participation in community welfare programs as a unique and positive characteristic of Indonesia, reflecting the country’s spirit of cooperation.

“If you ask the UK, France, or other Western countries, they might find it strange -- why would the police handle corn and run public kitchens?” Prabowo said during his visit to the National Police headquarters in Jakarta.

“This is Indonesia, where we don’t hesitate to do things differently. We respect other nations, but we have our own way -- rooted in our spirit of gotong royong (mutual cooperation),” he added.

The president praised the police for showing greater social awareness and initiative, engaging their nationwide network of offices in both the corn-planting effort and the free meal distribution program.

He noted that the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) are also working alongside the police to support broader social welfare initiatives.

“If the people are prosperous, free from hunger and poverty, I believe crime will decline significantly,” Prabowo said.

Since its launch in January, the free nutritious meal program has reached around 36.7 million beneficiaries, including schoolchildren, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. The police currently operate over 450 public kitchens to support the initiative.

The National Nutrition Agency recently recognized the police’s logistics network as the most effective within the program, citing its strict hygiene and nutritional standards.

In addition, the police have formed a food security task force to manage the nationwide corn cultivation initiative, utilizing nearly 560,000 hectares of land and producing 2.8 million tons of corn to date.

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