Government Prioritises 3T Regions and Priority Groups for Free Nutritious Meals Programme

Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan chaired a Limited Coordination Meeting at the ministerial level regarding the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) Programme at the Main Meeting Room of the Coordinating Ministry for Food in Jakarta on Thursday. The meeting discussed the refocusing of MBG programme beneficiaries, improvements to the governance of the Nutritional Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG), and several other strategic issues to accelerate the programme’s implementation.

During the meeting, Zulkifli emphasised that the government is targeting a number of strategic steps to be completed in the short term, particularly regarding the strengthening of SPPG in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions, namely Papua, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), and Maluku. Furthermore, the government is also prioritising areas with a high prevalence of stunting.

‘We have just resolved it, today’s meeting decided that the data collection for the 3T regions will be completed within this week, because last week we met and discussed a one-month timeline,’ he said, as quoted from a written statement on Thursday.

In addition to prioritising the 3T regions, the government is also focusing interventions on priority groups, namely pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers. This step is being taken so that the benefits of the MBG Programme can be received by the groups most in need in a targeted manner.

‘Everything will be resolved properly and fairly for all parties. So there is no need to worry,’ he added.

Meanwhile, Minister of Home Affairs Muhammad Tito Karnavian expressed his support for the government’s policy of prioritising 3T regions and priority target groups in the implementation of the MBG Programme. According to him, the people in these regions are the ones who most need the government’s attention.

‘They truly need it and they are the ones who should be speaking up to defend their rights,’ he stated.

He added that the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration of the Ministry of Home Affairs is ready to support the beneficiary data collection process to ensure the programme runs more accurately and on target.