Indonesia
Society
Residents purchase vegetables on July 16 during a government-sponsored affordable food market in Panyileukan, Bandung, West Java. Organized by the Bandung Food Security and Agriculture Agency (DKPP), the program offers staple food items at below-market prices to help stabilize supplies and curb inflation in the city. (Antara/Raisan Al Farisi)
Food prices are climbing again as the government's free nutritious meal program resumes nationwide, squeezing household budgets and traders' profits alike, in what analysts say underscores long-standing structural weaknesses in Indonesia's food supply chain.The latest price increases coincided with the reopening of nearly 30,000 designated kitchens this week as students returned to school after a three-week holiday, ending a temporary suspension of the program.
The pause came after months of governance challenges, including a high-profile corruption investigation and a series of food poisoning incidents related to the flagship initiative of President Prabowo Subianto.
