Ten Village Associations Back Free Nutritious Meals and Village Cooperatives, Says Minister
Ten village associations have declared their support for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) and Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (Kopdes) programmes. Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto stated that these programmes have significantly absorbed labour from villages.
The statement was made following a coordination meeting with the ten associations at the ministry’s office on Tuesday (23/6). Yandri explained that the meeting discussed the benefits of MBG and Kopdes for rural communities.
“MBG, for instance, has given rise to many thematic villages—melon villages, maize villages, rice villages, tilapia villages, layer chicken villages, and so on. Many Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes) are also collaborating as partners with Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) in cooperation with the National Nutrition Agency (BGN),” Yandri told reporters.
He noted that each MBG programme’s SPPG absorbs 50 workers from the village. The village associations also emphasised that rural residents greatly need the MBG programme. “Previously, it was rare for village residents to eat eggs or chicken meat every week. Since MBG was introduced, thank God, they have felt the benefits. This has also led to the emergence of new economic growth centres,” he said.
Consequently, Yandri stated, the ten village associations are ready to oversee MBG and Kopdes in terms of development, as well as operations, because Kopdes will function to equalise the economy and provide new sources of income in villages. “Twenty per cent of Kopdes’ income will become the village’s own-source revenue, while 80 per cent of the surplus will be returned to the village community. This will also reduce unemployment in villages because the workforce for Kopdes will be recruited locally,” he explained.
“So, all ten associations are united in fully supporting President Prabowo’s programme through his sixth Asta Cita, which we translate into the 12 Actions to Build Villages, Build Indonesia,” he added.
Yandri said that the government will appreciate any aspirations or criticisms regarding MBG and Kopdes. The government is open to anyone offering constructive input for further improvement. “The President’s programme is indeed very large and massive, touching millions of people. Such a large programme naturally requires collaboration. At the Ministry of Villages, we have a pentahelix programme, meaning all parties are involved, including in MBG and Kopdes. The scale is enormous. If there are shortcomings, yes, that is only human,” he said. “We always say, wherever we go, if there are shortcomings, it is those shortcomings that we perfect. It does not mean the programme should be stopped or halted.”