HKTI: Free Nutritious Meal Programme Could Create Jobs and Boost Farmer Welfare

The Indonesian Farmers’ Harmony Association (HKTI) has assessed that the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme will help meet the public’s nutritional needs, stimulate local economic turnover, and improve farmers’ welfare. HKTI’s Daily Chair, Bachtiar Utomo, stated that MBG is a programme with a direct impact on the quality of human resources while also providing economic benefits to the community. “The MBG programme is excellent for helping to meet the nutritional needs of schoolchildren, supporting pregnant women and toddlers, thereby helping to reduce stunting rates and improve public health quality,” Bachtiar said in a statement on Friday, 5 June 2026. According to him, the large demand for food ingredients to support the implementation of MBG also increases the absorption of agricultural, livestock, and fishery products. This condition opens up wider market opportunities for farmers and local food businesses. “The higher the food demand for the MBG programme, the greater the farmers’ production absorbed. The impact is certainly very positive on the income and welfare of farmers,” he said. Besides increasing the absorption of agricultural products, the MBG programme also has the potential to create new jobs in various regions. The need for labour in the process of supplying food ingredients, food processing, distribution, and kitchen operations presents economic opportunities that can be directly felt by local communities. Furthermore, this programme also creates a multiplier effect on the regional economy because it involves farmers, livestock breeders, fishermen, MSMEs, and service business operators in the national food supply chain. “This programme not only provides nutritious food to the community but also drives the regional economy. There are farmers whose harvests are absorbed, MSMEs that develop, and jobs that are created,” Bachtiar said. HKTI believes the MBG programme can become an important instrument in building a healthy and strong Indonesian generation while strengthening national food security and regional economies. “This is a long-term investment for the nation. Children receive good nutrition, farmers become more prosperous, the regional economy moves, and ultimately national food security becomes stronger,” he said.