Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The government’s Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program has significantly contributed to economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction, said National Economic Council (DEN) Chairman Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on Wednesday (19/3/2025).

"We were all astonished to see the extraordinary impact of MBG on economic growth, job creation, the economic ecosystem, and poverty reduction," he said, citing a report from University of Padjadjaran’s poverty expert Prof. Arief Anshory Yusuf. 

The report highlighted the program's potential to create 1.9 million jobs and reduce poverty to 5.8% if implemented effectively. Prof. Arief said that families with three children could receive  Rp600,000 monthly, exceeding previous social assistance programs like PKH and BPNT, according to antaranews.com.

He proposed three measures: regular audits, community involvement in monitoring, and securing domestic supply chains to prevent leakages.

The remarks followed a closed-door meeting led by President Prabowo Subianto, attended by key economic policymakers, including Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani.

(mg/inp/pr/nm)