61 per cent of free nutritious meal beneficiaries in Riau Islands are Batam residents

Batam city dominates the number of beneficiaries of the Free Nutritious Meal Programme (MBG) in Riau Islands province, with 340,524 recipients — approximately 61.8 per cent of the 550,830 beneficiaries across the entire province.

Anindita Ayu, the Regional Head of the SPPG (Food Programme Supply Unit) for the Riau Islands, said the dominance was in line with Batam’s status as the most densely populated area compared with other regencies and cities in the province.

“Batam has the largest population, so the number of beneficiaries is also the highest,” she said when contacted in Batam on Tuesday.

By comparison, the number of MBG beneficiaries in other regencies and cities is as follows: Bintan 46,040 people, Karimun 73,643 people, and Natuna 23,102 people. Lingga has 10,993 people, the Anambas Islands 7,229 people, and Tanjungpinang 49,299 people.

According to population data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the population of Riau Islands province was estimated at approximately 2.18 million in mid-2024. Of that total, around 1.26 million — or 57.9 per cent — reside in Batam.

“Now, by mid-February, we have already reached 550,000 beneficiaries, including teachers and education staff within the school environment,” she said.

She noted that the total number of teacher beneficiaries stands at 27,338 people. “This year there is no specific target for the number of beneficiaries; we are simply progressing in step with kitchen readiness. We are also still awaiting the operationalisation of kitchens in outermost, frontier, and disadvantaged areas (3T),” she said.

Regarding implementation this week, she explained that MBG distribution continues despite joint leave and school holidays, targeting pregnant women, nursing mothers, and toddlers (the 3B group) as well as Islamic boarding schools.

“This week, because schoolchildren are on holiday, distribution continues only for the 3B group and Islamic boarding schools. For schoolchildren, it will resume next week on 23 February, simultaneously nationwide with the Ramadan menu,” she said.