BGN Prioritises 3T Regions, 2,700 MBG Kitchens to Open in September

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) is accelerating the expansion of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme to underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions. Starting September 2026, the government plans to activate thousands of MBG kitchens in stages, prioritising areas that have not yet been reached by the programme.

BGN Head Sudaryono said there are currently around 2,700 kitchens, or Nutrition Service Fulfilment Units (SPPG), ready to operate. These kitchens will form the initial wave of MBG expansion into 3T regions, Islamic boarding schools (pesantren), and areas outside Java that still require programme services.

“We hope that in September we will begin opening kitchens in 3T regions. There are 2,700 that are ready, and they will be opened gradually, including in areas that are in great need,” Sudaryono said after meeting Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa at the Ministry of Finance office on Friday (28/8/2026).

This move is part of the government’s effort to broaden MBG coverage to regions that have faced limited access to services and infrastructure. According to Sudaryono, 3T regions are the top priority, but the expansion will also target pesantren and areas outside Java where nutritional service needs remain high.

Currently, around 13,000 kitchens remain in the activation queue. However, BGN has confirmed that not all of these kitchens will be operated immediately. The government is conducting verification and screening to ensure that only kitchens that are truly ready will be activated.

“Of the 13,000 in the queue, we are screening them. Not all will be opened immediately. Some are still just location points and are not yet ready; we exclude those. Those that are ready will be activated according to the needs of each region,” he said.

Sudaryono stressed that the MBG expansion will not burden the state budget this year. BGN will not request additional funding. According to him, the budget ceiling available in 2026 is still sufficient to support the gradual opening of new kitchens.

“God willing, no additional budget is needed. We can maximise the current 2026 budget so that MBG needs for regions and schools that have not yet been served can be met,” he said.

With the opening of thousands of new kitchens, the government hopes that the coverage of the Free Nutritious Meals programme will become more evenly distributed and able to reach target groups in areas that have not yet been touched, especially in 3T regions that are the focus of national nutrition service equity.