Jakarta — The government is committed to optimizing the Free Nutritious Meals Program (MBG) as an effort to support national economic recovery while improving public nutrition.
Coordinating Minister for Food, Zulkifli Hasan, revealed plans to increase the MBG budget from IDR 71 trillion to IDR 140 trillion this year.
“If the President later decides to increase it, in accordance with the APBN allocation, the MBG budget will increase to IDR 140 trillion in July or August,” said Zulkifli Hasan.
With this addition, the MBG program is expected to reach up to 82.9 million students who will receive nutritious lunches.
The MBG program, which has only been running for a week, has been in the spotlight for its potential for wide-ranging impact. Zulkifli Hasan emphasized that the expansion of the scope of beneficiaries is a concrete step by the government in ensuring that Indonesia’s young generation gets sufficient nutrition to support their growth and achievements in the future.
Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, welcomed the government’s plan to increase the budget for the MBG program. He assessed that this step would have a significant impact on the community, especially the student group who are the main beneficiaries.
“If there is an additional budget, it means there will be an additional beneficiary. That way, more students will get nutritious lunches, so it is expected to improve the quality of their health and education,” said Dadan.
Dadan also reminded the importance of maintaining the quality of MBG program services so that the benefits are truly felt by the community.
“We will continue to monitor the implementation of this program so that it runs according to the set targets,” he added.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture (Wamentan), Sudaryono, also fully supports the discourse on increasing the MBG budget. He said that this program not only improves student nutrition, but also has a positive impact on the agricultural sector and the local economy.
“If the budget is increased, we support it. It’s also good for our economy,” said Sudaryono.
According to him, the budget of Rp71 trillion has targeted around 19.47 million students as beneficiaries. However, with the budget increase to Rp140 trillion, this program will be able to reach up to 82 million beneficiaries.
“The budget increase must of course be balanced with the readiness of services in the field. The President always encourages this good program to be realized well,” added Sudaryono.
The addition of the MBG budget also has the potential to drive the national economy. This is because the program involves many parties in providing food ingredients, from local farmers to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) engaged in the food sector.
Furthermore, this program can also create new jobs, especially in the distribution and logistics sector. With a wider program reach, the government is certain to involve more parties in ensuring the smooth implementation of MBG.
The plan to increase the MBG budget has received a positive response from various parties, including the community. With the government’s commitment to continue optimizing this program, it is hoped that not only will student nutrition improve, but the wheels of the national economy can also turn faster. [-red]
