MBG Reaches 27 Thousand SPPG with Budget Absorption of Up to IDR 60 Trillion

JAKARTA - The Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Dadan Hindayana explained that the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Program has reached 27 thousand Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG) throughout Indonesia with an absorption of Rp. 60 trillion.

"Alhamdulillah, it has now spread throughout Indonesia, and today it has absorbed a budget of Rp. 60 trillion, where the budget is spread throughout from Sabang to Merauke to drive the wheels of the economy in various regions," said Dadan as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, April 20.

When explaining the development and impact of the MBG Program in the retreat activities of the heads of the Indonesian DPRD in Magelang, Saturday (18/4), Dadan explained the background of this program was derived from President Prabowo Subianto's concern about the high population growth in Indonesia, which needs to be balanced with the improvement of human resources quality.

"This program actually started from the President's anxiety, because Indonesia is still growing six people per minute, three million per year and will still grow to 324 million by 2045, and now the problem is not the growth, but where the growth comes from," he said.

He highlighted the still low average length of education for the Indonesian people, which is only nine years. This causes many children to not be able to access balanced nutritious food.

"So many Indonesian children today are born from parents who only have an elementary school education, so it's no wonder that 60 percent of children don't have access to balanced nutritious food, 60 percent of children rarely drink milk and even can't afford to drink milk," he explained.

Through the MBG Program, the government conducts comprehensive interventions with a focus on two important phases, namely the first 1,000 days of life which determine the development of intelligence, as well as the school age phase which plays a role in optimal physical growth.

Dadan also emphasized that the success of this program is expected to be able to reduce stunting rates and improve the quality of intelligence of future generations.

"We hope that with this program stunting can be prevented, because the average IQ of Indonesia is now 78. Therefore, with the presence of this program, we hope that in the next 10 to 15 years, those who are born today and will become productive workers, they are not stunted, and their height will increase because we intervene from now," he said.