TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Dida Gardera, deputy for food and agribusiness coordination at the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs, said that the funding for Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka's free lunch program was in the study stage. Funding sources for free lunches come from a variety of options, including the redirection of energy subsidies.

The free lunch and free milk program initiated by Prabowo-Gibran targets some 82.9 million schoolchildren and Islamic boarding school students across Indonesia. Based on simulations and planning by Prabowo-Gibran's team of experts, this program requires full funding of up to Rp450 trillion.

According to Dida, this study is part of the transition from the government of President Joko Widodo to the government of an elected presidential candidate.

Dida said that the free lunch program was not the only issue discussed. A number of other important issues were also reviewed, he said when met at the ministry building on Wednesday, March 6.

Other issues that the ministry is paying attention to, he said, include food self-sufficiency, which the government has also emphasized.

Apart from that, the free lunch program is still awaiting the results of the 2024 elections. "We're still preparing it, we haven't submitted it yet. We are still waiting for the procedures, the details."

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto had said that the free lunch and free milk drinking programs for school children would be included in the 2025 State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN).

Savero Aristia Wienanto

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