MBG Becomes Economic Booster for West Java in Q1 2026 with 5.79% Growth

Bandung (ANTARA) - The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of West Java (Jabar) has revealed that the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme is one of the key drivers of the economy in West Java during the first quarter of 2026, which recorded a year-on-year (yoy) growth of 5.79%. Head of BPS West Java Province, Margaretha Ari Anggorowati, explained that the large population results in a substantial volume of this flagship programme under President Prabowo in the West Java region, which in turn drives the wheels of the economy, from the absorption of agricultural and livestock raw materials to employment. “The MBG in West Java is large in scale, naturally making its economic impact significant as it stimulates activity from agricultural supplies and other sectors, ultimately drawing in all available labour,” said Ari at the BPS West Java Building in Bandung on Tuesday. Furthermore, Ari noted that this 5.79% economic growth realisation is higher than the national economic growth of 5.61% for the same period. “The Q1 2026 economic performance was propelled by several key factors, including an increase in public mobility with 56.54 million domestic tourist trips due to the Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr moments,” Ari stated. Structurally, in terms of business fields, the processing industry sector dominated at 39.60%, followed by trade at 14.21%, agriculture at 9.22%, construction at 8.14%, and transportation at 6.84%. The highest contributions to growth from business fields came from the industry sector at 1.65%, transportation at 0.81%, information and communication at 0.58%, accommodation and food and drink at 0.51%, and trade at 0.45%.