Free Nutritious Meal Programme in Nabire Absorbs 658 Local Workers, Boosts Economy

The Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme has absorbed 658 workers in Nabire Regency, Central Papua, providing an economic and social boost to the local community. Marsel Asyerem, Regional Coordinator of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) for Nabire, stated on Wednesday that these workers are employed across 14 Nutritional Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) serving programme beneficiaries in the area. “A total of 658 workers have been absorbed in the 14 operating SPPG in Nabire, including 180 indigenous Papuan (OAP) workers,” he said. He explained that the workers earn between IDR 120,000 and IDR 200,000 per day, working a five-day week from Monday to Friday. With this workforce, the MBG programme is estimated to generate a monthly monetary circulation in Nabire Regency ranging from IDR 1.58 billion to IDR 2.63 billion solely from SPPG employee salary payments. According to Marsel, the MBG programme not only contributes to fulfilling the nutritional needs of school children and the 3B group (pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers) but also assists the local government in reducing unemployment. He cited the example of one SPPG in Wadio Gerbang Sadu that employs six youths who previously engaged in roadside extortion, demanding money from road users. “After being involved in working at the SPPG, they now have permanent jobs and no longer engage in roadside extortion,” he said. In addition to creating jobs, all workers involved in SPPG operations are registered and receive protection through the Social Security for Employment (Jamsostek) programme. He noted that the number of MBG beneficiaries currently served by BGN Nabire has reached 23,584 individuals, comprising students and the 3B group. The central government has directed that the MBG programme should not only improve public nutrition but also stimulate the local economy through job absorption and the use of local raw materials. The programme is also expected to encourage the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (UMKM) and cooperatives that form part of the SPPG food supply chain. “This programme is not just about nutrition, but about how state funds entering the system can circulate within the community so that the economic benefits are directly felt by the residents,” he said.