Cianjur Farmer: Free Nutritious Meal Programme Boosts Absorption of Local Harvests

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme is not only impacting community nutrition but also opening market opportunities for local agricultural produce through the raw material needs of the programme’s kitchens.

Agi Sumarlin, a farmer from Sukaresmi Village, Kadupandak District, Cianjur Regency, West Java, feels that the MBG programme ensures the absorption of farmers’ harvests.

‘Previously, prices would plummet during the main harvest due to oversupply. With the MBG, local farmers’ produce has a guaranteed outlet and serves as a benchmark for price stability at the farm level,’ Agi said in a statement received in Jakarta on Monday.

According to him, the MBG programme also helps reduce farmers’ dependence on middlemen because harvests can be supplied directly to MBG kitchens through cooperatives or service units collaborating with the programme.

Agi assessed that the government’s policy prioritising the implementation of MBG for communities in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions, as well as for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers, will have a positive impact on farmers in areas that have historically had limited market access.

He noted that various local commodities such as rice, vegetables, fruits, sweet potatoes, eggs, and meat have the opportunity to be absorbed by MBG kitchens, thereby reducing the risk of failed sales or price crashes during harvest season.

‘The existence of this programme is a breath of fresh air for farmers in the regions because harvests can be absorbed by MBG kitchens at more reasonable and stable prices,’ he said.

He also appreciated several government policies that support the agricultural sector, including the simplification of subsidised fertiliser distribution, the increase in the purchase price of unhusked rice to Rp6,500 per kilogram, and the provision of agricultural machinery assistance.

‘The positive impact is quite real, from easier access to subsidised fertilisers to the increase in grain prices, which is a breath of fresh air for farmers,’ he stated.

Previously, the government adjusted the target recipients of the MBG programme by prioritising the 3B group, namely pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers, as well as communities in the 3T regions.