Badanas Boss Calls MBG Program An Accelerator Of The National Food Ecosystem

JAKARTA Head of the National Food Agency (NFA) Arief Prasetyo Adi said that the implementation of the flagship program made by President Prabowo Subianto, Free Nutrition Food (MBG), has given a positive impact in the food ecosystem in Indonesia.

In fact, Arief said that MBG also guarantees absorption of local food production, so as to boost the spirit of farmers.

"So this MBG is a program that the National Food Agency and all Indonesian people have been waiting for. Now our food ecosystem is getting more complete. In the past, there might have been a waste of crops, because prices fell. Today, the government under Mr. Prabowo guarantees that it will be purchased by the government, especially from the National Nutrition Agency (BGN)," he said in an official statement, Sunday, February 23.

Judging from the 2025 National Food Balance Projection, Arief continued, there are several food commodities that have an estimated stock at the end of 2025 which can exceed their needs in a month.

"This is important to be a buffer stock at the beginning of the following year," he said.

For example, rice commodities are projected to remain safe by the end of 2025 with a final stock of 9.978 million tons with a monthly rice requirement of 2.581 million tons. Meanwhile, for chicken eggs, the projected stock at the end of the year can be at 284,000 tons with a monthly requirement of 518,000 tons.

"We are talking about food supply, once again this is our great hope together and must be prepared by all parties. Especially if the MBG kitchen has continued to grow. For example, for eggs, only one chicken lays eggs a day," said Arief.

"So I suggest, because the chicken, if today we prepare GPS (Grand Parent Stock), DOC (Day Old Chicks) it will only be 2 years later, I suggest to friends in the technical ministry to get ready from now on. It could be that today we are overstocked, but we need to anticipate that in the future there will be no shortages," he continued.

As a form of support for the implementation of MBG, Arief stated that his party will help oversee the security of fresh food. This is done through a rapid test of fresh food which can create food grades for food circulated in MBG.

"We at the National Food Agency will prepare fresh food safety. We have prepared a test kit. So we can quickly find out the content. If we say food grade, pesticides can be measured, then they don't contain bolaks and others. We are preparing a test kit in all MBG kitchens," he said.

Sebagaimana data Sistem Informasi Pengawasan Pangan Segar Terpadu (SIPSAT) pada laman sipsat.badanangan.go.id, pada 2023 total rapid test yang telah dilaksanakan NFA sebanyak 3.047.

From that, it consists of 2,063 Fresh Foods from Plantation (PSAT), 357 Fresh Foods from Animals (PSAH), and 627 Fresh Foods from Fish (PSAI). Furthermore, throughout 2024, the number of rapid tests increased 116 percent to a total of 6,591.

In essence, MBG must be fulfilled from domestic production. This is our joint homework, not only carried out by the government. We believe the economy can be built in Indonesia. So the downstream is here, because our potential later is a demographic bonus. Don't let it become a demographic disaster. That's our record together," concluded Arief.

Meanwhile, Head of BGN Dadan Hindayana explained how high the absorption of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) is managed by BGN.

One SPPG that will serve 3,000 children in one place, if in Java, it requires 200 kg of rice every day, 350 kg of chicken, if the other chicken needs 350 chickens. 3,000 eggs every day, 300 kg of vegetables. This is a necessity that will be owned by BGN," said Dadan.