BGN to pause new SPPG construction amid free meal restructuring

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Nanik Sudaryati Deyang said the agency will temporarily halt the construction of new MBG kitchens, officially known as nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPG) to improve governance of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.

"In the context of budget efficiency, what we are doing first is refocusing beneficiaries; second, a moratorium on new kitchen sites; and third, improving existing kitchens that are already operating so that they meet standards for producing quality meals," she said at a press conference here on Thursday.

She emphasized that the moratorium will be implemented as soon as possible to ensure a more equitable distribution of the program and to support budget efficiency in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s directives.

"The principle is equity, meaning it is not about which kitchen receives beneficiaries, but ensuring that all children are covered. However, this does not require too many kitchens. Too many kitchens are inefficient because we are renting them," she said.

According to her, the restructuring of SPPG units is relatively easy to implement as BGN has coordinated with the Primary and Secondary Education Ministry, the Ministry of Population and Family Development, and the Home Ministry to calculate the number of kitchens needed for beneficiaries in each region.

"Currently, many have registered and are in preparation stages. There are already more than 27,000 operational kitchens. We will first streamline this. For example, if a sub-district only needs six kitchens, then it will be six. After that, if we find shortages, we will reopen registration (for new SPPG opening)," she said.

In addition, BGN will prioritize the development of SPPG units in frontier, underdeveloped, and outermost (3T) regions.

"We are tidying things up first, because the current concentration is in urban agglomerations, while the 3T areas are still not well covered. The President has instructed us to prioritize the 3T regions," Deyang said.

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Translator: Lintang, Kenzu

Editor: Azis Kurmala

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