Food Tray Imports For MBG Programs Do Not Reflect The Spirit Of Local Economic Movement

The implementation of the Free Nutrition Eating program (ANTARA/HO-Presidential Communication Office)

JAKARTA The government's decision to relax importfood tray or turnover for the free nutritious food program (MBG) has made local entrepreneurs bite their fingers.

The Indonesian Food Forum Producers Association (APMAKI) has urged the government to stop importing turnover for the MBG program. According to Apmaki, the import policy is detrimental to local producers who have invested to support President Prabowo Subianto's program.

APMAKI's Secretary-General, Alie Cendrawan, said that many of the MBG's turnover manufacturers were threatened with going out of business due to the flood of imported products.

"It's dangerous for us. We've invested in billions of factories. We invested, suddenly deregulation came, namely the regulation from Permendag 22, so that all parties can open up to import food routes," said Alie.

The decision to import food routes according to economists is not in accordance with the spirit of the MBG program to nourish the people as well as drive the local economy.

There is a disagreement between local entrepreneurs and the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) regarding the importfood route for the MBG program.

Head of BGN Dadan Hindayana admitted that his party imported the food route from China as a food stall. This is done because of the huge need, which is unable to be met by domestic entrepreneurs.

The government through the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) then issued the Regulation of the Minister of Trade (Permendag) Number 22/2025 concerning Policy and Regulation of Imports of Certain Industrial Goods. Import goods included in the deregulation package include 10 commodities, one of which is thefood Tray which does not have import restrictions.

The goal is that the target for MBG's fund route, which is targeted to reach 82.9 million people this year, is met. According to Dadan, the domestic industry is only able to produce two million unitfood routes.

However, this claim was denied by the APMAKI. Through one of its administrators, Robert Susanto, a member of APMAKI is said to be able to produce up to 10 million food routes per month, even in a production condition that is not optimal.

Director of the Digital Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS) Nailul Huda assesses that the use of importfood routes for the MBG program is quite dangerous.

"Food trays are softened because there is a need for the MBG program. I think this policy can be quite dangerous because we know that a few months of nutritious food has been running for a lot of changes," said Huda.

The MBG program, said Huda, is still very dynamic, aka often changes so that the need for afood route has not been seen.

"Almost 100 percent of imports from China, meaning that there is an interest in China to import more. Meanwhile, there is the potential for other goods to replace imported food trays, for example from woven bamboo or domestically made," he said.

Constitutional economist Defiyan Cori urged the government to be consistent with President Prabowo Subianto's narrative which emphasizes the importance of national economic independence. Opening the tap for importfood routes for MBG, according to Defiyan, shows the government's inconsistency.

"Don't just talk loudly on the podium, but when facing the procurement of food items for school children, they immediately surrender to imported goods. This is a very worrying inconsistency," said Defiyan.

In fact, the procurement of basic needs such as turnover should be a momentum to revive domestic industries, instead of strengthening dependence on foreign products, especially China.

The government's move to open the import tap is referred to as a reflection of structural laziness in building a national production base.

"This is not just a matter of presenting, but about the pride of the nation. If the state just gives up on eating utensils, how can we talk about downstreaming, import substitution, or industrialization?" he said.

Defiyan also reminded that the MBG program carries the spirit not only to nourish the people, but also to drive the local economy, not to become a consumptive market for foreign products.

"If the food utensils are made in China, then will the chicken, eggs, and rice also follow all imports? This must be straightened out," said Defiyan.