A display of some typical foodstuffs used in every day cuisine in Indonesia. - - General: General. Since its independence in 1948, the Republic of Indonesia has registered major progress in many fields. This has been especially true over the past 20 years or so. Per capita income, though still low, is more than three times what it was in 1970 and yet, many problems remain, some of them quite serious. Among these, is the general state of nutrition of the approximately 185 million people, especially the rural poor and small children. Vitamin A deficiency and under nutrition and malnutrition generally are still rife. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), among other international aid agencies, is now helping Indonesia to address these nutrition problems on a wider scale than they have ever been addressed before.