National Nutrition Agency imposes moratorium on SPPG construction to improve Free Nutritious Meal programme management
The Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, stated that the agency will implement a moratorium or temporary halt on the construction of Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) as part of a commitment to improving the governance of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme.
“In the interest of budget efficiency, what we are doing is, first, refocusing the beneficiaries; second, implementing a moratorium on new kitchen sites; and third, improving existing kitchens that are already operational to ensure they meet the standards required to produce high-quality food,” she said during a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday.
She emphasised that the moratorium would be implemented immediately to ensure the equitable distribution of the MBG programme and to achieve budget efficiency, following the directives of President Prabund Subianto.
“The core principle is equality. This does not mean every kitchen must receive beneficiaries, but rather that all children must receive meals, without necessarily needing an excessive number of kitchens. Having too many kitchens is inefficient because we are renting them. We are pausing and reorganising to determine the ideal number of SPPGs per sub-district or regency,” she explained.
She noted that while many applications are currently in the preparation stage, there are already over 27,000 operational kitchens. The agency intends to finalise the current structure first. For instance, if six kitchens are sufficient for a sub-district, no more will be added. New registrations will only be opened if a shortage is identified after this review.
Furthermore, the BGN will focus the construction of SPPGs in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions, as the current distribution of MBG beneficiaries in these areas remains insufficient. “We need to sort this out first because, frankly, the current concentration is in urban agglomerations, while the 3T regions have not yet been reached. The President’s instruction is that we must prioritise the 3T areas,” Nanik added.
Previously, President Prabowo Subianto emphasised the importance of integrity and accountability in the implementation of the MBG programme to ensure this government priority achieves its objectives without deviation.
“I do not want the people’s money to be stolen. There will be no exceptions,” he stated while attending the ‘Building Indonesia’s Future Generations Through Nutrition’ event at the Sentul International Convention Centre (SICC), Bogor Regency, on Wednesday. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the programme’s success by ensuring there is no abuse of power or misappropriation of funds. According to Prabowo, the decision to replace several parties involved in the programme’s execution was made after receiving reports of deficiencies, irregularities, and alleged misconduct in the field.