BGN Encourages Babel To Strengthen Agriculture For MBG Raw Materials

Agriculture (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Local governments throughout the Bangka Belitung Islands Province are encouraged to strengthen local agricultural infrastructure, to meet the raw materials for the Free Nutrition Food Program (MBG) in the area.

"This BMBG in addition to having a positive impact on beneficiaries but also opens up great economic opportunities for raw material providers and managers of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG)," said Deputy for Governance System of the National Nutrition Agency of the Republic of Indonesia, Tigor Pangaribuan, quoting Antara.

He said the biggest challenge for the realization of the MBG Program in the Province of the Bangka Belitung Islands is the availability of infrastructure, human resources and the supply of local food raw materials in this area.

"Imagine, one kitchen can spend 300 kilograms of vegetables per day. If there are 100 SPPGs, it means it takes about 30 tons of vegetables," he said.

According to him, if the supply of raw materials is not fulfilled from within the region, the economic benefits can actually run outside the Babel Islands. Therefore, I encourage local governments to strengthen local agricultural infrastructure in this area.

"Currently there are five SPPGs operating in the Babel Islands, spread across Bangka Regency, West Bangka, Central Bangka, East Belitung and Pangkalpinang with 421,413 beneficiaries," he said.

Acting Regional Secretary of the Babel Islands Fery Afrianto appealed to the public to play an active role, especially by utilizing productively owned land.

"I invite people to take full advantage of the existing land, so that the economic benefits of this program can really be felt by our own people," he said.