Jakarta – The government continues to show its commitment to the people through the Free Nutritious Meals Program (MBG), which is not only the foundation for developing superior human resources, but also encourages real economic recovery, especially in the culinary sector.
Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, emphasized that the MBG program has been a savior for food businesses that were threatened with bankruptcy. With steady demand every day, the people’s culinary sector is back alive and growing.
“The restaurant that was almost bankrupt is now back on its feet because it has at least 3,000 regular customers per day,” said Dadan.
The MBG program partners with local partners such as restaurants, caterers, and school canteens to prepare nutritious meals for beneficiaries. This step directly revives local economic activity and opens up business opportunities in various regions.
An example of success can be seen in the Boswa Bina Insani school canteen in Bogor, which has now developed into a nutrition service unit for thousands of children in 10 surrounding schools.
“What used to only serve school students, has now become a nutrition service center for 3,000 children. The foundation that previously earned 2-3 million rupiah per day, now earns up to 6 million rupiah per day,” he explained.
The government is also expanding the reach of this program through a plan to build 1,542 nutrition service units in disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas. Funding comes entirely from the APBN, demonstrating the state’s real presence in realizing food justice throughout the country.
“The beneficiaries could be 200 to 500 children, we will build it near the school and funded by the APBN. This is real evidence that the state is present,” Dadan explained.
Support for the program also came from academics. Member of the National Economic Council (DEN) and Poverty Expert, Arief Anshory Yusuf, stated that MBG has an extraordinary systemic effect in creating jobs and reducing poverty.
“This program is very pro-job. It creates up to 1.9 million jobs and reduces poverty rates by 5.8 percent,” he said.
Furthermore, Arief stated the importance of strengthening implementation so that the benefits of MBG continue to be optimal and sustainable. He encouraged participatory supervision and transparent governance, which are in line with the government’s spirit in implementing national priority programs.
“This is the nation’s flagship, let’s protect and protect it together,” concluded Arief.
The MBG program with all its impacts is proof that the policies of President Jokowi and the current government are fully on the side of the people, encouraging economic independence, and creating a healthier and more prosperous future for Indonesia.