Not Just Under Evaluation, Several Free Nutritious Meal Service Units in Central Java Halt Operations Due to BGN Funding Bottleneck

Central Java Deputy Governor Taj Yasin Maimoen has revealed that several nutritional service fulfilment units (SPPG) in the region are currently non-operational. Although he does not yet know the exact number, Yasin, who also serves as Chair of the Central Java MBG Task Force, acknowledged that these SPPGs are not operating because they are being evaluated and some have yet to receive fund disbursements. Yasin said that SPPGs under the supervision of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) are not only located in Central Java, but also in various other regions. “We know there has been a change in the head of the National Nutrition Agency, so we must comply with everything,” he said during an interview at the Gradhika Bhakti Praja Building, Semarang City, on Tuesday (9/6/2026). When asked how many SPPGs in Central Java are currently non-operational, Yasin admitted he did not have the data. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the factors causing SPPGs to be non-operational were not solely due to a lack of funds, but also because they were undergoing an evaluation process. “Some are due to evaluation, not all because the funds haven’t been disbursed,” said Yasin. He also admitted he did not yet know whether beneficiaries from the non-operational SPPGs received supplies from other SPPGs in their area. “For the time being, there is no further information; we are still waiting,” he said. Regarding the question of whether SPPGs currently not operating due to evaluation will be permanently closed or not, Yasin said that is entirely the authority of the BGN. “However, currently the community feels the benefits of the Free Nutritious Meal programme, so the community hopes that its quality and standards will be improved. This is what we are waiting for,” he stated. At least dozens of SPPGs in Central Java are non-operational due to delays in fund disbursement. In Purworejo, 12 SPPGs temporarily halted their operations because they are still waiting for a top-up funding process from the BGN. In addition, five SPPGs in Magelang stopped operating on Monday (8/6/2026) because the BGN suspended operational fund disbursement for an indeterminate period. As many as 20 SPPGs in Surakarta also did not operate on Monday because the BGN had not yet disbursed operational funds. There are a number of other SPPGs in Central Java that are not operating because they have not received funds from the BGN.