BGN Ensure the Payment of the 3T Kitchen is Completed So that Operations Can Run

Transportation facilities for SPPG kitchens on the island of Belakangpadang, Batam City, Riau Islands. ANTARA/Amandine Nadja

BATAM - The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) ensures that the payment for the construction of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program kitchen in the lagging, leading, and outermost (3T) areas in the Riau Islands will be completed so that it can immediately operate.

"We are completing it. For buildings in remote areas, we have data, some have been paid, and the rest will be completed," said Deputy Head of BGN for Operational Nutrition Fulfillment, Sony Sonjaya, while attending the MBG Program Consolidation Meeting in Batam, Thursday, April 2, reported by ANTARA.

He said his party knew that there were 3T kitchens in Kepri that had completed construction but were not operational because they had not received a budget from the center.

Sony said it would hold a follow-up meeting in Jakarta on April 7, 2026 to complete the payment process.

"Insyaallah on April 7 we will hold a meeting in Jakarta to resolve it. After that, the kitchen that has been completed can be immediately operationalized," he said.

Sony added that after the first phase is completed, BGN will again conduct data collection for the development of MBG kitchens in other small areas.

"Later we will map out again which areas have not been reached, how much kitchen needs, and the number of beneficiaries. We will coordinate this with the task force at the provincial and district/city levels," he said.

In the first phase, there are 130 SPPG kitchens built in the 3T area in the Riau Islands.

The details are 14 kitchens in Natuna, 20 in Anambas, 30 in Batam, 1 in Tanjungpinang, 9 in Bintan, 41 in Lingga, and 15 in Karimun.

Meanwhile, Deputy Governor of the Riau Islands, Nyanyang Haris Pratamura, said the local government continues to strive to expand the reach of the MBG program to the outermost islands.

"We are coordinating with the district/city task force to accelerate development in the 3T area. This is already underway and we continue to encourage it," he said.

He emphasized that one of the main focuses of the local government was to maintain the stability of the supply of food materials to support the operation of the MBG kitchen, especially in the archipelago.

"We ensure that supplies from Batam, Bintan, to Karimun are maintained. Coordination continues to be carried out so that the distribution of food is not hampered," he said.

In addition, he said the provincial government also collaborated with various parties, including related agencies and regional task forces, to accelerate the distribution of logistics to difficult-to-reach areas.