Jakarta. Indonesia has secured French backing for President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free meal program that will officially start in about three weeks. 

French Ambassador to Indonesia Fabien Penone said Wednesday that Paris would help the Prabowo government deliver his campaign promise of feeding Indonesian schoolchildren nutrient-rich meals to cut down the national stunting rate. France, which has a similar school feeding program, intends to share its expertise. Paris is also open to helping Indonesia modernize its agricultural sector.

“We [France] will respond to what Indonesia needs. We have a similar program, so [it’s possible] to exchange our expertise. There might be opportunities for experts to take part in modernizing Indonesian agriculture,” Penone told reporters in his Jakarta residence.

The French government subsidizes school meals, only requiring parents to pay for a portion of the costs depending on their income. A few years ago, France began distributing free breakfasts to schools in underprivileged areas. Penone claimed that Indonesia had sent some delegates to his country to study how France feeds its students. According to the country’s news outlet France24, more and more French farmers have adopted technology tools. 

Indonesia has been running pilot projects for the free meal program over the past few months. In October, Penone visited one of the trial tests in Sukabumi, West Java. Penone said: “We are already working with the UN World Food Program on this. … We will see how we can further cooperate on this [free meal plan].”

France is a contributor to the UN’s World Food Program as the country’s assistance hits 6 million euros or about $6.3 million in 2024 alone. According to local media reports, France has contributed about 260,000 euros (approximately $272,852) for school meal distribution in Indonesia via the World Food Program scheme. 

Indonesia has set aside Rp 71 trillion (nearly $4.5 billion) in the state budget to run the free meal program for the entirety of 2025. The government has made some changes to the nutritious meal program ahead of its official launch in January. Prabowo not long ago announced that he planned on cutting the cost-per-meal from Rp 15,000 to Rp 10,000 due to budget constraints. However, senior minister Muhaimin Iskandar recently said that the government was still trying to find out whether it was possible to feed a child with just Rp 10,000 alone.

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