Head of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN), Hasto Wardoyo, has said that East Java is one of the 12 provinces being prioritized for stunting handling due to the high prevalence of stunting.

“Based on the 2021 Indonesian Nutritional Status Study (SSGI), four districts in East Java are in the red category,” he said at an awareness-building event for the National Action Plan for the Acceleration of Indonesia’s Stunting Reduction (RAN PASTI) here on Wednesday.

The four districts include Bangkalan, Pamekasan, Bondowoso, and Lumajang, he informed. They have been assigned the red status since stunting prevalence in the four districts has crossed 30 percent, he explained.

Wardoyo, who also serves as the chief executive of the Central Stunting Reduction Acceleration Team (TPPS), revealed that the status of 18 districts and cities in East Java is currently at yellow due to a stunting prevalence of 20–30 percent. They include Sumenep district, Surabaya city, Malang district, Malang city, and Nganjuk district, he added.

Meanwhile, 15 regions have been categorized as green as their stunting prevalence is 10–20 percent, for example, Ponorogo district, Probolinggo district, Trenggalek district, and Batu city, he informed.

There is only one region categorized as blue in the province, namely Mojokerto city, which has a stunting prevalence of 6.9 percent, he said.

“East Java could become the main contributor to stunting reduction nationally if all parties are determined and struggle together to overcome the problems that are still encountered in our environment,” he remarked.

The BKKBN head expressed optimism that East Java can achieve the target because the central government is serious in dealing with stunting from the upstream to downstream sectors.

“The role of local governments, starting from the provincial, district, and city levels, sub-districts to villages must be pushed to reduce the incidence of stunting in the community,” he stressed.

At the RAN PASTI event, several regional heads also shared their ideas on stunting reduction in their respective areas.

Source: Antara News