Prabowo: Free Nutritious Meal Programme becomes saviour of grassroots economic growth

Jakarta (ANTARA) — President Prabowo Subianto has emphasised the strategic role of the Free Nutritious Meal Programme (MBG) in strengthening grassroots economic growth.

According to an official statement from the Government Communications Unit in Jakarta on Monday, Prabowo stated that the global crisis currently facing the nation is actually accelerating government measures to drive the economic sector and long-term human resource development (SDM) investments.

With the implementation of the MBG programme, Prabowo said, stimulus for grassroots economic growth has become robust. The primary objective is to empower small communities, increase purchasing power, and ensure inclusive growth.

“Stimulus for growth at the grassroots level,” Prabowo stated.

He said the Indonesian Government is targeting the MBG programme to reach 80 million beneficiaries by 2026, encompassing schoolchildren, infants, pregnant women, and nursing mothers.

“This programme is designed to feed more than 80 million people almost every day, and this programme contributes 11 per cent of the central government’s budget this year,” he explained.

Prabowo has also committed to continuing to prioritise investment in priority programmes, such as providing subsidised housing through to village cooperatives.

Furthermore, Prabowo will drive economic expansion through the empowerment of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to strengthen national economic resilience against global uncertainty.