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April 29, 2026 | 07:29 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto accuses many people of being afraid of the success of the free nutritious meal program (MBG). The head of state reaffirms his commitment to continue the free meal project that he initiated.
Prabowo stated that there are currently tens of millions of MBG's beneficiaries. "We will continue until it's completed. Many shortcomings will be resolved. Many are afraid of its success," he said in Cilacap, Central Java, on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, as reported by the Presidential Secretariat.
The former defense minister believes that some parties may feel disadvantaged because of the MBG. For example, he mentioned middlemen, who often lower prices when agricultural produce remains unsold.
Prabowo claims that things have changed in this regard since the emergence of MBG. "Now we have changed, almost all farmers and fishermen have a market off-taker guarantee. Whatever they produce, it will be absorbed by the Indonesian people in every village with SPPG (Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit), kitchens," he said.
Prabowo feels that his government is on the right track. "We are on the right track, we are on the side of the Indonesian people. Whoever is not on the side of the people, that's their choice. I will always be on the side of the nation and the Indonesian people," he said.
President Prabowo's administration continues to accelerate the implementation of the MBG project, which will benefit approximately 82 million people. Various measures are being taken to meet the target as soon as possible.
Most recently, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which is responsible for the MBG program, requested that universities participate in establishing SPPGs (MBG kitchens). BGN Head, Dadan Hindayana, stated that universities have a strategic role in supporting the success of the president's priority program.
Dadan argued that the high demand for food production under the MBG program presents an opportunity for universities to integrate academic activities with fieldwork. He explained that each SPPG requires significant support for food production. For example, to meet the needs of one SPPG, at least eight hectares of paddy fields are needed to supply rice, and about 19 hectares of corn fields are needed to support the need for livestock feed.
Dede Leni Mardianti contributed to the writing of this article
Read: BGN Seeks Campus Participation in Free Meal Kitchen Program
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