Prabowo's MBG Budget Is IDR 10,000 Per Portion, Economists Say There Is A Risk Of Nutrition Inequality

Illustration (Photo: Doc Antara)

JAKARTA - Executive Director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara assessed that cutting the cost of the Free Nutrition Food (MBG) program to IDR 10,000 per share is too small, especially for areas outside Java, thereby risk increasing price inequality and nutritional quality.

"The cost per portion is too small, especially in areas outside Java where the price disparity of basic necessities is more expensive than Java," he told VOI, Thursday, December 5.

He added that inflation outside Java needs to be taken into consideration because based on data as of October 2024, inflation in Central Papua was recorded at 4.19 percent, while in North Sulawesi it was recorded at 2.58 percent.

This figure is much higher than national inflation which only reached 1.71 percent.

"This means that the price of goods in some areas has a higher price increase," continued Bhima.

Therefore, Bhima assessed that the high logistics costs, coupled with bureaucratic costs and supervision that must be included in the budget, need to be taken into account carefully.

Bhima is worried that if the cost per serving continues to be reduced, especially in areas with high cost of living, then food provider vendors will find it difficult to supply food with appropriate quality.

"Khawair nanti vendor yang ditekan sehingga biaya per serving jauh lebih lebih kecil dari Rp10,000," jelasnya.

With the limited budget, it is possible to propose that the MBG budget should be increased to around Rp. 15,000 to Rp. 20,000 per portion, provided that the program starts in the Disadvantaged, Frontier, Outermost (3T) areas in the first year, and is expanded in the second year.

He is also worried that there will be a greater potential risk of nutritional inequality between schools if the share is too small.

"Worrying the cost per portion of MBG which is too small risks widening the inequality in the value of nutrition per school," he explained.