National Nutrition Agency asserts no compulsion for Free Nutritious Meal programme in forest fire areas
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Nutrition Agency (Basting) has emphasised that it never forces the distribution of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme in areas affected by forest and land fires (karhutla).
“There are claims that because of the fires, students or parents are being told to collect the meals. The situation is this: because of the fires, schools may be closed, but the announcement often comes after the kitchens have already cooked, purchased raw materials, and prepared the food. Therefore, the food must be cooked and collected on that day, even if there is no distribution the following day,” said the Head of BGN, Sudaryono, after a Hearing with Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) in Jakarta on Thursday.
He emphasised that the distribution of the MBG programme in regions affected by forest fires follows announcements from local or provincial governments.
“Regarding the forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra, the core point is that we follow the announcements from local governments. Whether schools are closed or not, we follow their lead. We never force the MBG programme to proceed if schools are closed due to fires. We defer the authority for senior high schools to the governors, and for primary and junior high schools to regents or mayors; if they declare a holiday, the MBG programme follows suit,” he added.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) continues to strengthen integrated monitoring of the impact of forest and land fires on economic activities, particularly air transport connectivity.
“The Ministry of Forestry continues to monitor in an integrated manner the development of hotspots, fire conditions in the field, air quality, smoke dispersion, weather, and visibility,” said the Head of the Bureau of Public Relations and International Cooperation at the Ministry of Forestry, Ristiendum Pribadi, when contacted in Jakarta on Thursday.
Furthermore, Ristianto stated that this information serves as a basis for the government to determine priority control operations and to provide guidance to the public.
“We understand that smoke disturbances have the potential to affect community mobility, economic activities, and flight safety,” he said.
Based on the latest monitoring by the Ministry of Forestry, air quality and visibility conditions may vary by region and can change relatively quickly, influenced by smoke concentration, wind direction and speed, rainfall, and other atmospheric dynamics.
Ristianto noted that the Ministry of Forestry continues to communicate developments transparently through official channels and the SiPongi system.
“Specifically for air travel, we urge the public to follow the latest information from BMKG, airport authorities, AirNav Indonesia, and airlines,” he concluded.