Indonesia is launching an ambitious $4.3 billion programme.
President Prabowo Subianto promised to provide free food to tens of millions of schoolchildren and pregnant women, saying it would improve their quality of life and spur economic growth.
"This is a historic event for Indonesia, as it is the first time a nationwide feeding programme for young children, schoolchildren, pregnant and nursing mothers is being conducted," said the head of state's spokesman, Hassan Nasby.
At least 190 kitchens were open across the country, busy preparing food before distributing it to people.
The program has a budget of 71 trillion rupees ($4.3 billion) for fiscal 2025 and should deliver food to nearly 83 million people by 2029.
The free feeding programme aims to address the stunting that afflicts 21.5 per cent of the archipelago's children with a population of about 282 million.
The Southeast Asian country aims to reduce this percentage to 5 percent by 2045.
Prabowo has been advocating for the plan since his presidential campaign last year and his team said the poorest and most remote areas would be prioritised.
Since being sworn in last October, he has toured several countries, including the US and the UK, to seek financial support.
In November, he struck a deal with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for $10 billion in aid across several sectors, including the free feeding programme.
However, analysts claim that the scheme is not sustainable in the long term. | BGNES, AFP
