Deputy Interior Minister states stunting in South Kalimantan shows positive trend at 22.9 percent

Banjarbaru (ANTARA) - Deputy Interior Minister (Wamendagri) Akhmad Wiyagus stated that the trend of stunting reduction in South Kalimantan (Kalsel) shows positive development with the latest achievement at 22.9 percent, in line with the national trend which is also experiencing a decline.

The Deputy Interior Minister said that nationally, stunting prevalence has been successfully reduced to 19.8 percent through various integrated intervention programmes.

“Nevertheless, efforts to address stunting must not slow down because it remains one of the main challenges in human resource development in the regions,” said Wiyagus virtually during the 2026 Musrenbang event for the preparation of the 2027 RKPD of South Kalimantan Province in Banjarbaru on Tuesday.

According to him, interventions for target groups must be carried out comprehensively, starting from fulfilling the nutrition of pregnant women, toddler care, to improving access to adequate household sanitation.

“I remind of the importance of integrating stunting handling programmes into the RKPD document so that their implementation can run systematically and sustainably,” he said.

In addition, the Deputy Interior Minister emphasised that cross-sectoral coordination is an important factor in ensuring the success of stunting reduction programmes in the regions.

He asked local governments to ensure that all interventions carried out are on target and able to provide real impacts on reducing stunting rates.

He also emphasised that such efforts must be supported by increasing public awareness of the importance of fulfilling nutrition and healthy living patterns.

“With these steps, it is hoped that the quality of human resources in South Kalimantan can continue to improve significantly,” said Deputy Interior Minister Wiyagus.