Prabowo's Free Meals Plan Poised to Expand Indonesia Dairy Consumption, Imports

PRABOWO SUBIANTO - JAKARTA. Indonesia's president-elect campaigned on a pledge to provide free meals to over 80 million school children, a costly and daunting logistical effort that is poised to lift dairy imports and ultimately boost the country's underdeveloped milk industry.

The programme, budgeted at $28 billion when fully implemented, aims to improve nutrition in a country where the share of caloric intake from grains is high, milk consumption is low and 21.5% of children under five are stunted.