BGN bars prospective partners from building MBG kitchens before verification

Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Sony Sonjaya stated that prospective partners are barred from constructing MBG kitchens before verification. ‘Prospective partners must not build kitchens until verified,’ Sonjaya said in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, Friday. He explained that members of the public applying to become BGN partners must register via the official portal at mitra.BGN.go.id. Registration and administrative processes are online, with only field officers conducting surveys on-site. Sonjaya confirmed no fees are charged during verification. The registration process starts with verifying requirements, including foundation name and management details, NPWP (tax identification number), and NIB (business identification number). Upon successful verification, partners receive a six-digit foundation ID before applying for kitchen locations. The system alerts applicants if a requested location is full, displaying a red block message. However, BGN has ceased accepting applications, with the online portal officially closed. ‘The partner portal is now closed, and BGN is validating data through a bottom-up approach, collecting information from village level,’ Sonjaya said. He revealed 29,400 MBG kitchens have been verified, with 27,900 operational. This accounts for 80% of the national target of 30,000 locations, with the remainder pending real-data validation, particularly in remote areas.