Indonesia targets efficiency in Free Nutritious Meals program

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Governance improvements to Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program in 2026 will begin with efforts to improve budget efficiency, according to the National Nutrition Agency (BGN).

"Our primary concern is efficiency. Although the budget now stands at Rp268 trillion (nearly US$15 billion), we hope to reduce it further without compromising quality," BGN Head Nanik Sudaryati Deyang told a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday.

She said the efficiency measures would be implemented across various sectors, with the agency focusing on three priorities: refocusing beneficiary targets, imposing a moratorium on new kitchen units, and upgrading existing kitchens, including facility improvements and personnel training, to meet standards for producing quality meals.

Nanik stressed that BGN would temporarily suspend any MBG kitchen, officially known as a Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG), found to be operating below established standard operating procedures.

Earlier, President Prabowo Subianto emphasized that the MBG program is a major national mandate that must be carried out responsibly.

Speaking during a national consolidation meeting on the MBG program in Bogor, West Java, on Wednesday, he said all stakeholders involved in the program play an important role in ensuring its benefits reach the public.

He stressed that the program must succeed and warned those unwilling to perform their duties properly to "step aside."

"What matters most is that the interests of the people come before all other interests," Prabowo said.

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Translator: Lintang, Azis Kurmala

Editor: Anton Santoso

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