Indonesia can achieve its goal of achieving high income status but in order to do so the country must first create greater access to more nutritious foods and invest in human capital, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said today.

 Indonesia’s economy has been growing at a steady pace for many years and the Government has an ambitious plan to graduate from middle income to high income status. Great strides have been made in reducing absolute poverty but reductions in moderate poverty have been slower. This has created an equity gap – and one the Government has pledged to close to improve the livelihoods of millions of Indonesians. One of the key approaches in doing so is to improve access to nutritious foods and reduce the prevalence of stunting in children below the age of five, where children do not reach their mental or physical potential as adults and society and the economy as a whole suffer from reduced productivity. One major reason is a monotonous diet often lacking in fruits, vegetables and high protein foods.