Muhaimin: MBG drives microeconomic growth
JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar said the ecosystem created by the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme is capable of fostering new businesses.
"One of the most significant ecosystems that has emerged is the creation of new business operators, while also stabilising prices so that farmers can benefit from the MBG process," Muhaimin said in Jakarta on Thursday.
National Nutrition Agency (BGN) head Nanik Deyang also said the MBG programme had, within a short period, helped address egg prices in East Java.
"Not only eggs, but vegetable prices have also benefited from MBG, which has helped mitigate inflation fluctuations in East Java."
As quoted by ANTARA, Muhaimin stressed that one of the objectives of the MBG programme is to empower lower-income communities, given the substantial amount of money circulating through the programme and the need for it to generate tangible benefits for them.
"The main focus of BGN is to build an ecosystem of economic empowerment at the grassroots level. BGN has repeatedly stated that the amount of money circulating among lower-income communities is very large and must have a meaningful impact on them," Muhaimin said.
He emphasised that improvements to the management of the MBG programme should be based on the National Socio-Economic Single Data System (DTSEN) in order to empower poor and extremely poor communities.
"In implementing improvements to MBG management, I remind BGN to refer to Presidential Instruction No. 4 of 2025 on the National Socio-Economic Single Data System, under which disadvantaged regions, extreme poverty and poverty must be prioritised in the distribution of benefits. These groups are identified within DTSEN," Muhaimin said.
The minister added that improvements to MBG governance should also refer to Presidential Instruction No. 8 of 2025 on poverty and extreme poverty alleviation, which contains two provisions directly related to the programme.
The first is that beneficiaries should prioritise poor and extremely poor households. The second is that the programme's ecosystem should prioritise the economic empowerment of low-income communities.
"In conclusion, I am very pleased with this new management system. I am optimistic that the President's excellent programmes, if managed properly with sound judgement and capable leadership, will succeed. I am confident that BGN head Ms Nanik has the capability to implement this programme effectively, God willing," Muhaimin said. (DK/ZH)
