Setting High Standards, SPPG in Sumba and Tasikmalaya Boost Local Agriculture

Several Satuan Pelayanan Program Gizi (SPPG) units managing the Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) programme have reportedly achieved the highest standards of performance, empowering the local economy in their operational areas. This was highlighted by Edwin Putra Kadege, a leader of the SPPG Kadi Wano in Wewewa Timur, Sumba Barat Daya, who demonstrated that well-run SPPG units provide menus eagerly anticipated by recipient children. “Many children arrive at school without breakfast due to their parents’ economic limitations. In the field, teachers report that children are now far more enthusiastic about school, even though their homes are a great distance away,” Edwin stated on Thursday, 19 March 2026. This aligns with findings from the Research Institute Of Socio-Economic Development (RISED), which conducted research on the Initial Impact of the MBG Programme on Child Welfare, launched in February 2026. RISED’s survey in three districts/cities in Central Java showed that children have become more cheerful since the MBG programme began. RISED Director M. Fajar Rachmadi explained that around half of the 1,800 parent respondents agreed that their children are less frequently ill and appear more cheerful. “Where 50 percent of parents consider them to look more cheerful, 48 percent of parents assess that their children are less often sick after receiving MBG,” Fajar said. In addition to providing nutritious food for 2,000 children in 15 schools in West Sumba, the SPPG Kadi Wano has also proven that food security can start with empowering local farmers. Nearly all of the SPPG’s vegetable needs are supported directly by local farming groups. “This creates a real economic circulation ecosystem. Local farmers no longer struggle to sell their harvests because the SPPG acts as a standby buyer (off-taker),” he said. The same occurs at the SPPG Cibuntu in Taraju Subdistrict, Tasikmalaya, which demonstrates equally impressive synergy. With a local food fulfilment rate of 85 percent, this SPPG has partnered with farmers, market traders, and village youth organisations to build a resilient ecosystem.