Hundreds of MBG Kitchens Temporarily Stopped, KSP Says BGN is Making Arrangements

JAKARTA - Hundreds of nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPG) or free nutritious meal program (MBG) kitchens are reported to have temporarily stopped operating because the budget from the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has not been disbursed. In response to this condition, the Head of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Dudung Abdurachman stated that the BGN is currently rearranging the budget and organization to ensure that the government's priority programs continue to run optimally.

"Later it will be rearranged. This is Bu Nanik again, there is a lot of concentration on how to organize the organization and so on," said Dudung at the State Palace complex, Jakarta, Wednesday, June 10.

According to Dudung, the government also paid attention to a number of MBG kitchens that have not met the requirements and permits according to the standards set. This issue is part of the evaluation that is being carried out together with BGN.

"Well, of course we will help. I am sure the manpower from BGN is very limited. My job is to ensure that this presidential priority program must run," he said.

In addition to discussing budget arrangements, the meeting between the KSP and the Head of BGN Nanik Sudaryati Deyang also highlighted the development plan for the MBG program in the lagging, leading, and outermost (3T) regions.

The government is currently preparing a cooperation scheme with companies operating in the 3T area through a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. This step is expected to expand the development and operation of the MBG kitchen without burdening the state's revenue and expenditure budget (APBN) excessively.

"For the 3T area, there are plans for the construction and management of a number of kitchens to be supported by companies around the location through a CSR program so that the benefits of the program can reach more people," explained Dudung.

In the meeting, the practice of buying and selling locations was also discussed, which was considered a potential cause of discrepancies between the number of planned beneficiaries and conditions in the field.

Dudung revealed that there were a number of MBG kitchens that were initially designed to serve up to 3,000 beneficiaries. However, the realization of beneficiaries in some locations turned out to be far below the target that had been set.

According to him, this condition is one of the focus of government evaluation so that the allocation of incentives and operational support can be adjusted to the actual data. "We want to ensure that all planning is based on the actual number of beneficiaries so that the program runs more efficiently, accountable, and on target," he said.

Dudung added, based on the data presented in the meeting, there are currently around 27,877 MBG kitchens that have been operating and recorded in the system nationally.

The government will continue to evaluate and arrange the implementation of the free nutritious meal program to ensure that all available facilities can provide optimal benefits for the community and support the sustainable improvement of national nutrition.