Zulhas: Government Prepares 300 Tonnes of Spices for Hajj Pilgrims' Consumption

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) stated that the government is sending 300.9 tonnes of spices for the consumption needs of Hajj pilgrims. Zulhas said that the supply of 300.9 tonnes of spices was prepared by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Kemenhaj). “There are even spices being brought, sending spices, yes, the spices for cooking that make it ready immediately,” said Zulhas at the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs Office, Jakarta, on Tuesday (21/4/2026). Besides spices, Zulhas mentioned that Kemenhaj is also sending 1,232,520 ready-to-eat food packages for the needs of 203,320 Hajj pilgrims in 2026. With technological advancements, said Zulhas, domestic SMEs can produce ready-to-eat (RTE) food that can be consumed in a fresh condition. “It turns out there is now fresh ready-to-eat food,” said Zulhas. Because they do not enter the government financing scheme (B2B). Zulhas assured that the food needs for the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage activities are secure, so pilgrims do not need to worry. “Insyaallah, it’s complete enough, nothing lacking,” he said. Millions of portions of ready-to-eat food will become snacks for Hajj pilgrims. Kemenhaj arranges for RTE to be the pilgrims’ menu for six days, namely 7 to 13 Dhu al-Hijjah. During that period, pilgrims are undergoing the peak of Hajj worship in the Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina (Armuzna) areas. “Because at that time the traffic is very dense, so delivering fresh food seems difficult, that’s why we use RTE,” said Gus Irfan.