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Australian businesses to explore free meals cooperation
An Australian business delegation has arrived in Jakarta for talks on how they might contribute to President Prabowo's flagship free meals program, through potential cooperation in technology transfers and supply chain development.
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A farmhand feeds cattle on June 22, 2023, at a livestock farm in Sidodadi village, Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra. (Antara/Yudi)
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ustralian businesses have expressed interest in cooperating with Indonesia as the government proceeds with rolling out its ambitious flagship program, which targets providing free and nutritious meals each day to 80 million schoolchildren, pregnant women and other vulnerable people nationwide.
Jennifer Westacott, a former chief executive of the Business Council of Australia until 2023, led a delegation of business leaders to Jakarta this week to discuss ways Australian firms could contribute to the program.
The free meals program presented a huge opportunity for Australian businesses to get involved, Westacott said on Tuesday in Jakarta.
“As a business champion, I want to ensure more companies and Australian fund managers understand growth potential Indonesia,” she said on Monday in a press release from the Australian Embassy, noting that the country was Indonesia’s 10th largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI).
The free meals program, a key promise of President Prabowo Subianto’s 2024 election campaign, aims to address childhood malnutrition and stunting as well as food insecurity and supply chain inefficiencies.
Indonesia’s growing youth population needs diverse and sustainable food sources and the government has been seeking international collaboration in the program, as domestic suppliers do not have the capacity to provide sufficient quantities of certain foods, such as milk.
For Australian businesses, the program offers a chance to tap into Indonesia’s growing food sector through a focus on the dairy and meat industries, as well as agricultural technology.
