MBG to Focus on 3T Regions, VP Gibran Urges Faster Kitchen Licensing
Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has asserted that the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme must be prioritised in the most disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions.
“MBG will be more precisely targeted if focused on 3T areas,” Gibran stated during a visit to Wolomoni Elementary School, Niowula Village, Detusoko District, Ende Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, following an inspection of the programme’s implementation readiness on Thursday.
He assessed that areas such as Niowula Village, which are far from city centres, are the regions most in need of government intervention through nutritious food programmes. “Areas like these are precisely what need MBG the most,” Gibran said, adding that the programme is expected to help alleviate the burden on families in these regions.
During the visit, Gibran also received reports that the MBG kitchen in Niowula Village has completed construction but is still awaiting inspection and feasibility testing from the central government. He emphasised that this process must be accelerated so that services can commence immediately.
On the other hand, the Vice President acknowledged that the implementation of MBG still faces several challenges, particularly regarding governance and oversight. “I am aware that MBG still has many shortcomings. Moving forward, there must be more improvements; governance must be refined to be more efficient, and corrupt practices must be eliminated,” he said.
Gibran also stated that the government will utilise the school holiday period to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the MBG programme, including reforms within the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). “There is currently a gap during the school holidays. This is the right time for a thorough evaluation, especially regarding governance,” he noted.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to continuously improving the MBG programme to ensure it is precisely targeted and free from irregularities. “In the future, we will continue to improve it so that it is more targeted and corrupt practices do not occur again,” he asserted.
The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has ensured that Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) that do not operate during the school holiday period will not receive incentives. The distribution of the Free Nutritious Meal programme will be temporarily suspended during the school holidays, spanning 18 days from 22 June to 13 July 2026.