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Denpasar (ANTARA News) - The government plans to allocate Rp1.6 trillion from the 2008 State Budget in an effort to support the family planning program in Indonesia, National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN) chief Sugiri Syarief said here on Tuesday.

But he noted the amount was still far from sufficient to finance the family planning program which needed about Rp4.7 trillion.

Sugiri made the statement after accompanying health minister`s expert staff Dr Rachmi Oentoro at the opening of an International Conference on Reproductive Health Management Emphasis on Family Planing here.

In addition to the funds from the central government, provincial, district and municipal administrations would also allocate a total of Rp1.7 trillion for the same purpose.

Meanwhile, Dr Subagus of the BKKBN`s research and development center said the family planning programs to control population growth in Indonesia would be one of six sectors on the government`s list of priority in 2009.

"Family planning development to be one of the government`s priorities means the availability of the needed funds, personnel, facilities, and methods," Subagus said.

He said the government`s efforts to manage family planning programs in the country should be supported by funds and central government policies in order to be applied at provincial, district, and municipal levels.

"The priority of family planning development does not only mean the use of contraceptives but also empowerment of families, determining a more appropriate marrying age, and reproductive health," Subagus said.

However, the success of family planning programs could not be enjoyed after a short period of time because programs need about 20 to 30 years to yield results.

Subagus said the country`s family planning program in the past 30 years was able to prevent the birth of around 80 million babies, so it had had a positive impact on other development programs.

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