Governor: All Regional Heads in Central Java Required to Reduce Stunting
Central Java will be at the forefront of the fight against stunting. All regional heads in Central Java are required to reduce stunting rates.
Semarang (ANTARA) - The Governor of Central Java, Ahmad Luthfi, stated that efforts to reduce stunting cases in the region require collaborative work from various stakeholders. “Central Java will be at the forefront of fighting stunting. All regional heads in Central Java are required to reduce stunting,” he said in Semarang on Monday, during an audience with a delegation from the Vice President’s Secretariat (Setwapres) regarding the technical consolidation for accelerating stunting reduction.
The Vice President’s Secretariat plans to hold a technical consolidation for accelerating stunting reduction and advocacy for stunting prevention for the Java-Bali-Nusa Tenggara (Jabanusa) region in Semarang City on 22-23 September 2026.
Consequently, he welcomed the Vice President’s Secretariat’s plan, noting that efforts to reduce and prevent stunting cannot be undertaken in isolation. On this occasion, Governor Ahmad Luthfi expressed hope for the active involvement of various stakeholders, ranging from relevant Regional Government Agencies (OPD), the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN), regents, mayors, village governments, to the Family Welfare Movement (PKK).
According to him, the reduction and prevention of stunting are fundamental assets in preparing future generations. “Children must be prepared from an early age, starting from the pre-marital period, pregnancy, through to the first 1,000 days of life (HPK),” he said.
The Head of the Central Java Health Office, Zulfachmi Wahab, added that the commitment to reducing stunting is being implemented through cross-sector collaboration, including identifying risk factors based on life cycles and providing assistance to pregnant women at risk of stunting.
“From pregnant women, we can predict the risk of stunting; 85 per cent of stunting can be identified during pregnancy, and interventions continue through the first 1,000 days of life,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Deputy for Welfare Improvement and Human Resources Development at the Vice President’s Secretariat, Eddy Cahyono Sugiarto, explained that the technical coordination meeting for accelerating stunting reduction and prevention advocacy is a follow-up to President Prabowo Subianto’s focus on improving the quality of human resources.
“One of the pillars of human resource development is the handling of stunting. Therefore, we must prepare Indonesia’s Golden Generation. We want to ensure that all stakeholders can work together and collaborate to reduce stunting,” he said.
Referring to data from the 2024 Indonesian Nutritional Status Survey (SSGI), the national stunting rate has decreased from 21.5 per cent to 19.8 per cent, while the target for 2029 is approximately 15 per cent, necessitating intensive efforts.