Coordinating Minister for Food: KDKMP and MBG Programs Mutually Support Village Economic Development
Blora (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Minister for Food, Zulkifli Hasan, stated that the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme and the Red and White Village Cooperatives (KDKMP) are designed to be mutually integrated to build a food ecosystem while simultaneously driving economic growth at the village level.
“The food requirements for nutrition fulfilment service units (SPPG) will be met through village cooperatives, including the supply of fish and other food commodities produced by the community,” said Zulkisedli Hasan during a visit to the KDKMP Kamolan in Blora Regency, Central Java, on Friday.
According to him, SPPGs must purchase from village cooperatives, fishermen’s cooperatives, Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes), or existing local businesses, rather than relying entirely on large-scale distributors.
“The government is also preparing infrastructure for the Red and White fishermen’s cooperatives in coastal areas so that fishermen’s catches can be stored before being marketed, preventing them from being sold at low prices to middlemen,” he added.
Meanwhile, cooperatives in inland areas will be strengthened through various productive business units capable of supplying the requirements for the MBG Programme. “There must be economic growth centres in the villages. This is why the Red and White Village Cooperatives, Red and White Fishermen’s Cooperatives, and other village enterprises were formed—so that the people can participate in and enjoy development,” he said.
Zulkifli Hasan noted that both programmes are expected to create new economic growth centres in villages by empowering the community to become more productive. Through the integration of these two programmes, the government hopes cooperatives can develop fisheries as productive business units while serving as suppliers of nutritious food for the SPPG to support the MBG Programme.
In the same vein, the Regent of Blora, Arief Rohman, expressed his support for the central government’s policy, which positions villages as primary actors in the MBG Programme supply chain. “Kamolan serves as an example of how food security programmes can be directly connected to the needs of the Free Nutritious Meal programme. It is not just fish production that grows, but also the economy of the village community,” he said.
As part of strengthening the role of cooperatives, KDKMP Kamolan received thematic assistance for catfish cultivation using the biofloc system from the Directorate General of Aquaculture of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP).
KDKMP Kamolan supervisor Imam Sofyan stated that this assistance is part of a national priority programme to strengthen cooperative-based food security. He explained that each cooperative received three assistance packages, each consisting of eight circular biofloc ponds with a diameter of approximately four metres, totalling 24 ponds.
“Each pond is stocked with about 2,500 catfish fingerlings measuring at least six centimetres, meaning the total fingerlings received by the cooperative reach 60,000,” he said.
In addition to the ponds, the assistance included blowers for aeration, water pumps, generator sets (Genset) for backup power, and installation houses. He noted that this equipment is essential because the biofloc system employs high stocking density, requiring a stable oxygen supply.
Imam added that cooperatives receiving assistance were given the choice between cultivating catfish or tilapia, but all recipient cooperatives in Blora Regency chose catfish. The assistance also included approximately 5.5 tonnes of initial and follow-up feed, ranging from PF-1000 to feed adjusted for the fish’s growth.