The Development Agenda in the RPJMN 2020-2024 is to improve quality and competitive human resources which will be achieved through 7 approaches. Three of these approaches require support for food and nutrition improvements, namely: increasing productivity and competitiveness; poverty alleviation, and improving the quality of children, women and youth.
Indonesia's biggest challenge today is no longer lack of energy and protein, but hidden hunger, in the form of micronutrient deficiencies, especially iron, iodine, folic acid, zinc and vitamin A deficiencies. The potential economic loss is more than 50 trillion rupiah just from low work productivity alone due to Iron Deficiency Anemia, not including health care costs due to severe micronutrient deficiencies.
Large-scale food fortification (LSFF) has been shown to be effective in reducing hidden hunger, while being highly cost-effective. Food fortification is the most cost-effective method at a cost of USD 66 USD per Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). The estimated health benefit-cost ratio is USD 17 for every USD 1 invested.
Given the importance of large-scale food fortification (LSFF), the Indonesian Fortification Coalition (KFI), at the direction of the Secretary of BAPPENAS, proposes that food fortification be part of the long-term national strategy in Indonesia's RPJPN 2025-2045 as follows.
Transformation of the national food system to achieve food security, independence and sovereignty through regionalization of food systems of archipelagic countries based on agroecosystems, resources and local wisdom. The policy directions taken are: (i) fulfillment of the basic right to food for all individuals in a sustainable manner, especially the poor; (ii) fulfillment of adequate, diverse food and nutrition in accordance with the guidelines for balanced, safe and affordable nutrition to ensure a healthy, active and productive life; (iii) increasing the intake of essential micronutrients to build quality and productive human resources through the development of large-scale food fortification and biofortification (LSFF) supported by an effective institutional coordination forum for cross-actor cooperation; (iv) ensuring access and affordability of diverse, nutritionally balanced and safe food in the period of the first 1000 days of life (HPK) for the poor, living in 3T areas, or affected by disasters; (v) implementing conservation agriculture, regenerative, adaptive and low-carbon agriculture; and (vi) developing food from the sea/water (blue food), bioeconomy for food and other future food potentials.
Currently, the KFI recommendations have been incorporated into the Draft RPJPN 2025 - 2045 which is written in Chapter IV: Indonesia's Transformation Towards a Golden Indonesia.
The Final Draft RPJPN can be accessed through the following page
-Nur Rahmah Utami–