3 Reasons Prabowo Appointed Sudaryono to Lead BGN
President Prabowo Subianto has appointed Sudaryono as the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), replacing Nanik Sudaryati Deyang who resigned due to health reasons. The Palace revealed at least three considerations underlying the appointment of the former Deputy Minister of Agriculture to lead the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme.
Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi stated that the first consideration is the highly strategic position of the BGN in overseeing the MBG programme, meaning a leadership vacuum cannot be allowed to occur.
The second consideration is that Sudaryono has been involved from the very beginning in the formulation of the MBG programme. He participated in discussions, initiated ideas, and helped draft the technical concepts for the programme’s implementation.
‘Of course, with various bases and considerations, he has followed the concept since the birth of this Free Nutritious Meals programme. He has also been following and together with all of us discussing, initiating, and conceptualising the technical implementation of this free nutritious meal programme,’ explained Prasetyo at the Presidential Palace Complex in Central Jakarta on Wednesday (22/7/2026).
The third consideration relates to Sudaryono’s position as Deputy Minister of Agriculture. According to Prasetyo, this position gives Sudaryono an understanding of the food supply chain, which is the main pillar of the MBG programme.
‘Providing Free Nutritious Meals is never detached from his duties at the Ministry of Agriculture because, after all, the sources of raw materials, the sources of foodstuffs that become the Free Nutritious Meals for the beneficiaries have so far also been supported and sustained as an ecosystem by the Ministry of Agriculture where Mr Sudaryono serves as Deputy Minister. Those are some of the bases for consideration,’ Prasetyo detailed.
Following his inauguration, Sudaryono stated that the MBG programme not only aims to improve public nutrition but also delivers a significant economic impact. He noted that the programme is capable of absorbing the production output of the agricultural and livestock sectors. Given its massive scale and budget, he likened the programme to a Pacman game that continuously ‘eats up’ food supplies.
‘This is a grande programme. I have said on several occasions that this programme is like Pacman, it eats everything,’ Sudaryono said after being inaugurated by Prabowo at the State Palace in Central Jakarta.
Sudaryono assessed that before the MBG programme existed, many farmers and livestock breeders had to discard their produce because it was not absorbed by the market. He claimed that this situation no longer occurs. ‘If we used to see people bathing in milk, God willing, that will not happen anymore. There were people throwing away carrots, God willing, that will not happen anymore. There were farmers throwing away vegetables, throwing away onions and so on, God willing, with this programme, we only need to pay attention to distribution. The effect is providing nutrition, but the effect is also absorbing the local economy, especially our farmers, fishermen, and livestock breeders in the regions,’ Sudaryono explained.