BGN to Cluster MBG Kitchens, Ending Flat Rp 6 Million Daily Incentive

The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) is formulating a clustering scheme for the Nutritional Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG), known as Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) kitchens. The scheme will affect the incentives provided to each MBG kitchen.

Deputy Head of BGN, Agustina Arumsari, explained that the clustering scheme is being prepared to make the management of MBG kitchens more suited to the conditions of each region, especially in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas.

She noted that so far, all MBG kitchens have used a relatively uniform pattern, despite the fact that regional conditions and the number of beneficiaries in 3T areas differ from densely populated areas like Java.

“One of the options to be taken is indeed that, namely kitchen clustering. Because when we refer to 3T areas, the population is not as large as in Java,” Agustina said during a press conference at the BGN office in Central Jakarta on Thursday, 18 June 2026.

She assessed that 3T areas will have different kitchen models and operational systems compared to other regions. BGN is currently reviewing the scheme alongside the process of compiling beneficiary data.

“Later, it will certainly be different from Java. The system, the kitchen, and so on will also be different,” she said.

On the other hand, Agustina considers the current MBG kitchen scheme to be unfair. This is because all kitchens receive the same incentive of Rp 6 million per day, even though the number of beneficiaries served varies.

“Right now, everything is uniform, Rp 6 million per day, even though the beneficiaries are 500, 1,000, 1,500, up to 3,000. That is actually not fair,” she said.

Therefore, BGN will first ascertain the number of beneficiaries in each region before determining the operational and financing scheme for the MBG kitchens. This data will also serve as the basis for structuring the programme’s budget efficiency.