Hundreds of Nutrition Service Units in Remote Regions Await Operational Certainty, Association Demands BGN Explanation

The Chairman of the Indonesian Food and Nutrition Association for Disadvantaged, Frontier, and Outermost Regions (APGI 3T), Herwil Junaidi Harefa, has explained the reasons behind a protest by investors and managers of Nutrition Service Units (SPPG) at the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). He stated the action arose because hundreds of SPPG in remote 3T regions, which should have been operational after fulfilling all cooperation agreement requirements, have yet to receive operational certainty despite completing the entire construction and preparation process in accordance with applicable regulations. Herwil said that from the outset, investors received assignments to build SPPG based on guidelines and technical instructions issued by the BGN. They subsequently constructed the facilities using private funds or loans without any state budget allocation. “We built them because we saw many children in remote areas still not reached by the Free Nutritious Meal programme. Our intention was solely to build and support the government programme, not to trade the locations or facilities built,” Herwil said in a statement on Saturday, 20 June 2026. He explained that building facilities in remote areas poses far greater challenges than in urban areas, ranging from limited access to high logistics costs. According to APGI 3T, most construction was completed between October and December 2025. However, to date, many managers have not received certainty regarding the operational activation of the SPPG they have built. “The construction funds came from personal capital and loans. We have many commitments to fulfil to workers and parties involved in the construction. Yet until now, there has been no operational certainty,” Herwil said. APGI 3T noted that 645 SPPG in remote areas have completed construction, appraisal, verification, virtual account opening, appointment of SPPG heads, and have received draft cooperation agreements and been declared ready for operation. The realised investment value is estimated to have reached approximately Rp 1 trillion. Therefore, APGI 3T is urging the BGN to immediately provide operational certainty for all SPPG that have met administrative and technical requirements, “so that the benefits of the Free Nutritious Meal Programme can be immediately felt by communities in the 3T regions,” he said.