Procurement of Laptops to Socks Under Public Scrutiny, BGN Head: Not as Extensive as Claimed

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The procurement of goods by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has drawn public attention. This is because the budget used for procuring several items, ranging from socks, laptops, and eating utensils, is considered far higher than market prices. BGN Head Dadan Hindayana stated that the procurement of these items does indeed exist as part of the operational needs of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. However, he assessed that the quantity of goods procured is not as large as widely reported. “The procurement exists, but not to the extent mentioned. For example, 32,000 laptop units and eating utensils worth Rp4 trillion are completely untrue,” he said in his statement on Monday (13/4/2026). According to Dadan, the procurement of socks, laptops, and eating utensils was carried out according to real needs in the field. He denied the circulation of reports on fantastically large quantities of these items. He mentioned that throughout 2025, laptop procurement within BGN was only carried out for 5,000 units. “The laptop procurement is not 32,000 units as circulated, but only around 5,000 units throughout 2025,” he said.