Jakarta, Oct. 8 -- The government plans to begin distributing food aid for the fourth quarter of 2026 in October, Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said.

"I believe the limited meeting held the other day decided that we will soon roll out the food aid program," he told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday.

He made the statement following the government's announcement that it would distribute 10-kilogram food aid packages to a total of 33,244,408 beneficiary families nationwide through the end of the year.

Backed by a budget allocation of Rp17.5 trillion (more than US$970 million), the program is aimed at supporting households classified in the four lowest socioeconomic groups under the National Single Socio...