Jakarta – The government continues to refine the implementation of the MBG Program as part of its commitment to providing increasingly high-quality, targeted services that provide optimal benefits to the community. Evaluations are focused not only on expanding the reach of beneficiaries but also on strengthening governance, improving food quality, and streamlining program implementation.
The Head of the Indonesian Government Communications Agency (Bakom), Muhammad Qodari, emphasized that the program evaluation is focused on improving governance and increasing service quality so that the benefits of MBG can be felt more widely by the community.
“The evaluation also targets the quality of food distributed to the community. The government will strengthen oversight of nutritional content and food hygiene to optimize the benefits of the MBG Program,” said Qodari.
He added that the government is also directing program improvements to expand the reach of beneficiaries, particularly those in disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas, and to focus more on pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers, as those most in need of nutritional interventions. He added that cross-sectoral coordination will also continue to be strengthened to ensure program implementation is increasingly effective and high-quality.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa emphasized that the MBG Program is a strategic government program that will continue to be implemented with various improvements to make it more efficient and on-target.
“We can’t abolish the President’s flagship program, the MBG. But what we’re doing is making it more efficient, because it’s actually a good program. So, with it, people in need can be helped. However, its implementation has been flawed, and it’s being corrected,” Purbaya said.
He also revealed that the government is implementing budget efficiency as part of program optimization.
“We initially allocated Rp 330 trillion, but it’s been reduced to Rp 270 trillion. Later, it may be reduced to an even lower level. So, we’ll implement massive efficiency measures, as per the President’s orders,” he explained.
In addition to efficiency, Purbaya ensured that supervision of the implementation of MBG was also strengthened through the Directorate General of Treasury (DJPb) in various regions to periodically supervise the operations of Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG) so that program governance would be more accountable.
These various improvement measures demonstrate the government’s commitment to continuously improving the quality of the MBG Program through ongoing evaluation, strengthening governance, enhancing service standards, and improving implementation efficiency. With these improvements, the government is optimistic that the MBG Program will become even more effective in improving the nutritional quality of the community while providing broader benefits to all beneficiaries.