Prabowo Accuses Many of Fearing Success of Free Nutritious Meals Programme
President Prabowo Subianto has accused many people of fearing the success of the free nutritious meals (MBG) programme. The Gerindra Party Chairman reaffirmed his determination to continue the free meals project that he has championed.
Prabowo stated that there are currently tens of millions of MBG beneficiaries. “We will continue until completion. There are many shortcomings, we will address them. Many are afraid this will succeed,” he said in Cilacap, Central Java, on Wednesday, 29 April 2026, as broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat.
The former defence minister assessed that there are parties who might feel disadvantaged by MBG. For example, he said, like middlemen who often crash prices if agricultural produce is not absorbed by the market.
Such conditions, Prabowo claimed, have changed following the introduction of MBG. “Now we have changed it, almost all farmers and fishermen have market guarantees from offtakers. Whatever they produce, it will be absorbed by the Indonesian nation in every village that has SPPG, there are kitchens,” he explained.
Prabowo feels his government is on the right path. “We are on the right path, we are on the side of the Indonesian people. Whoever is not on the side of the people, go ahead. I will always be on the side of the nation and the Indonesian people,” he stated.
President Prabowo’s administration continues to accelerate the realisation of the MBG project for around 82 million beneficiaries. Various measures are being taken to meet the target as soon as possible.
Most recently, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), responsible for MBG, has asked universities to participate in opening SPPG. BGN Head Dadan Hindayana stated that campuses have a strategic role in supporting the success of President Prabowo Subianto’s priority programme.
Therefore, Dadan requested that campuses build and manage SPPG independently, while also turning them into practical learning centres. “I think campuses need to understand this because it is a great opportunity. At minimum, have one SPPG first, and if possible, the supplies come from the academic community itself,” Dadan said at the U25 State Universities as Legal Entities (PTN-BH) Forum in Makassar on Tuesday, 28 April 2026, as quoted from a press release.
Dadan reasoned that the great need for food production in the MBG programme could be an opportunity for campuses to integrate academic activities and field practice. He explained that each SPPG requires substantial food production support. To meet the needs of one SPPG, for example, at least 8 hectares of rice fields are needed for rice supplies, as well as around 19 hectares of maize land to support livestock feed requirements.