inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Deputy for Human Development, Society and Culture of National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), Amich Alhumami hoped that by January 2025 the free nutritious meal program (MBG) is expected to reach all provinces in Indonesia.

In his statement, he said that MBG is currently entering a trial period by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). This activity is carried out at 80 points throughout Indonesia.

He said that in the initial stage this program will target around 15 to 20 million children throughout Indonesia. This, he said, is in accordance with the budget allocation of IDR 71 trillion from the 2025 State Budget Plan.

"Currently there is no problem with the budget. The government will prepare the budget needed for the program that has indeed been a priority of President Prabowo," he said on Tuesday (11/5/2024).

He also said that later there would be a service unit with a public kitchen approach that could serve 2,500 to 3,000 school children or students per service unit. The target beneficiaries include pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers.

Furthermore, Alhumami says that MBG program will be evaluated periodically to see the impact on society. The evaluation will include health indicators such as children's height and weight, which are measured by nutritionists in each service unit.

Alhumami notes that the program will take a long time until the final results appear. "It takes a long process, but what’s important is that we must achieve the Golden Generation 2045," he explained.

In addition to aiming to improve the quality of future generations, Alhumami also said that the target of the MBG program is for community economic empowerment as this program also involves MSMEs, the private sector, and others related to this program.

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