inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Muhaimin Iskandar, stated that the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Program is able to empower communities down to the grassroots level, strengthening economic resilience.

"We should be grateful for the implementation of the MBG Program, which is continuously being refined and improved, leading to the development of an economic ecosystem and supply chain that can truly give birth to new entrepreneurs, growing MSMEs, and increasingly diverse and productive local production," explained Muhaimin on Thursday (4/16/2026).

He emphasized that, on the other hand, the government wants the MBG Program to be of higher quality and accessible to students equally, through various efforts, such as providing more comprehensive meal plans.

"The spearhead of efforts to build this economic ecosystem is through the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG). Therefore, we must strategically organize and manage it so it can empower the community, especially in terms of governance," explained Muhaimin.

Meanwhile, Vice Head of the National Land Agency (BGN), Sony Sonjaya, stated that during the one-year MBG Program, 27,066 SPPGs had been verified, and more than 25,000 of them were operational.

He added that to ensure the needs of families in traditional markets were not disrupted, regional heads needed to innovate to prepare the supply chain.

Several initiatives implemented by local governments that should serve as examples include the establishment of hydroponic thematic villages in Bogor Regency.

Furthermore, 1.7 million people have now worked at SPPGs, demonstrating the community's empowerment for their operations. Of the 47,000 people employed at SPPGs, 30 percent are prioritized for those living in extreme poverty, while the remainder are from the surrounding community.

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