November 26, 2024
JAKARTA – Homegrown GoTo Gojek Tokopedia (GoTo) and Singapore-based Grab have launched pilot programs aimed at providing services for President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meals program, leveraging their platforms to streamline distribution to millions of students nationwide.
GoTo has partnered directly with local small businesses, while Grab has provided flexibility for schools to choose their preferred merchants.
GoTo’s pilot program is fully app-integrated, from scheduling to food orders, according to Ade Mulya, chief of public policy and government relations at GoTo.
The firm is working directly with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) near schools to prepare meals, streamlining the ordering process through its Gojek app and its digital wallet GoPay.
Ade added that the meals are delivered by GoTo drivers under strict quality control standards and with local health and education department approval.
GoTo has launched its pilot free meals delivery program in 13 cities and districts, including Bogor, East Jakarta, Bekasi, Bandung, Surakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, Malang, Medan, Makassar, Banjarmasin, Pekanbaru and Palembang, according to a statement released by the company on Nov. 10.
The program, part of GoTo’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) work, began its trial phase on May 20, serving 10,000 students in 31 schools, with a target of distributing approximately 3 million meals.
A centerpiece of Prabowo’s election campaign, the free nutritious meals program aims to combat childhood stunting and malnutrition as well as generate quality human resources by feeding some 82.9 million people, including children up to grade 12, teachers, pregnant women and babies.
The government is planning to roll out the program gradually, reaching full coverage in 2029. By that time, the scheme is expected to cost US$30 billion annually, equivalent to 12 percent of the 2024 state budget and around 2 percent of the country’s current GDP.
Grab Indonesia, meanwhile, is partnering with schools to select local merchants and facilitating orders through the Grab For Business channel on its app.
Grab fully delegates the selection of the food merchant partners to the schools and requires them to purchase a voucher to place orders, making it easier to monitor and schedule orders, according to Tirza Munusamy, chief of public affairs at Grab Indonesia.
SME partners get the orders and shipping schedule according to the voucher.
“Meals are delivered by our driver partners based on scheduled orders. We remain in close coordination with the government and other stakeholders to support this program’s success,” said Tirza.
Grab’s program also included nutritional assessments and socioeconomic impact studies, Tirza added.
Grab’s free meals program, launched with its digital wallet OVO, is on a 90-day trial in three regions: Kulon Progo in Yogyakarta, Kebumen in West Java and Langowan in North Sulawesi. It will run until December.
Both GoTo and Grab charge the government-recommended flat rate of Rp 15,000 (94 US cents) per meal and integrate digital platforms to facilitate orders daily.