Among these, the KUA in North Tapanuli, North Sumatra, recently went viral with a video offering durians for couples who register their marriages there, The Jakarta Post reported.

"January Promo. Get married to get durian, only at KUA Simangumban," read the caption of the video, which was posted on Jan. 14 and has since attracted millions of views and tens of thousands of comments.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs said the campaigns form part of its strategy to support a marriage registration awareness program launched in July last year.

Indonesia offers free durians to boost young people's interest in marriage. Illustration photo by Pixabay

The push comes amid a decline in marriages among young Indonesians over the past decade.

From 2014 to 2024, the number of Indonesians getting wed fell from 2.1 million to 1.47 million. Data from the country’s Central Statistics Agency show that fewer than 30% of those aged 16 to 30 were married as of December.

As Indonesia seeks to capitalize on its demographic bonus to avoid the middle-income trap, falling marriage rates could undermine its goal of becoming a developed nation by its 2045 centennial of independence.

"If we do not do it right, the demographic bonus will pass, and it never gives leverage for the people’s welfare," Indonesia’s family planning agency head Hasto Wardoyo told The Straits Times.

Durian, meanwhile, is part of Indonesia’s culture and a key source of income for millions of farmers, according to a statement made last November by Zulkifli Hasan, the country’s Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs.

Indonesia produced nearly 2 million tonnes of the fruit in 2024. It recently sent its first direct shipment of frozen durians to China after previously exporting them through intermediaries such as Thailand and Malaysia, according to the Global Times.

Besides durians, the religion ministry has also started sponsoring mass wedding ceremonies to help locals who lack the means to marry.

Some 50 couples took part in one such event at the Istiqlal Mosque in December and received dowries, food packages, wedding gifts and complimentary photo sessions. Another 200 couples joined two similar ceremonies held in June and September.

"They will stay at a free hotel tonight and get 2 million rupiah (US$118) to start a business," said Nasaruddin Umar, Indonesia’s Minister for Religious Affairs, after the September event, as quoted by ABC.