{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1830566,
        "msgid": "not-just-for-schoolchildren-mbg-programme-frees-farmers-from-middlemen-1782741172",
        "date": "2026-06-29 19:50:28",
        "title": "Not Just for Schoolchildren, MBG Programme Frees Farmers from Middlemen",
        "author": "",
        "source": "VIVA",
        "tags": "berita",
        "topic": "Economy",
        "summary": "Indonesia's free nutritious meal (MBG) programme is providing a stable market for local farmers, reducing their reliance on middlemen and preventing price crashes during harvest season. Farmers in Cianjur, West Java, report that supplying MBG kitchens guarantees fairer and more stable prices for their produce. The government's refocusing of the programme on underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions is seen as a boon for rural farmers with limited market access.",
        "content": "<p>The government\u2019s policy of focusing beneficiaries on underdeveloped,\nfrontier, and outermost (3T) regions is seen as opening new markets for\nlocal agricultural produce. One of those feeling the impact is Agi\nSumarlin, a farmer from Sukaresmi Village, Kadupandak District, Cianjur\nRegency, West Java. According to him, the existence of MBG kitchens\nprovides farmers\u2019 harvests with a clearer market, especially during the\npeak harvest season. \u201cPreviously, prices would plummet during the\nharvest season because of the abundant supply. With the MBG programme,\nlocal farmers\u2019 produce has a guaranteed absorption outlet and serves as\na benchmark for price stability at the farmer level,\u201d Agi said on\nMonday, 29 June 2026. He assessed that the MBG programme also helps\nreduce farmers\u2019 dependence on middlemen. Through cooperation with\ncooperatives or MBG service units, harvests can be sold directly at\nprices deemed more reasonable. \u201cSupply contracts with cooperatives or\nMBG service units guarantee fairer and more stable prices,\u201d he stated.\nAs is known, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) is currently refocusing\nthe target beneficiaries of the MBG programme. The programme is\nprioritised for four groups: children in 3T regions, pregnant women,\nbreastfeeding mothers, and toddlers. Agi supports this policy. In his\nview, concentrating the programme in rural areas and 3T regions can\nactually provide greater benefits for farmers who have long faced\nlimited market access. \u201cThis is a breath of fresh air for farmers in the\nregions. Their harvests (rice, vegetables, local bananas, sweet\npotatoes, eggs, meat, and so on) can be absorbed by MBG kitchens. It can\nreduce the risk of failed sales or price crashes during the peak\nharvest, and they get a decent and stable selling price,\u201d he said. He\nhopes the programme\u2019s benefits will also continue to be felt by MSMEs\nand local traders who have been part of the MBG kitchen supply chain.\n\u201cThey want to be actively involved as raw material suppliers without any\nmanipulation from kitchen owners,\u201d he said. In addition to the MBG\nprogramme, Agi also admitted to feeling the impact of several government\npolicies in the agricultural sector. He cited the simplification of\nsubsidised fertiliser distribution, the increase in the purchase price\nof unhusked rice, and assistance with agricultural tools and machinery\nas a breath of fresh air for farmers.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/not-just-for-schoolchildren-mbg-programme-frees-farmers-from-middlemen-1782741172",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}