West Kalimantan’s Free Nutritious Meals Programme Spends Rp2.21 Trillion by September

Pontianak (ANTARA) — The Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme in West Kalimantan spent Rp2.21 trillion between January and September 2026, serving around 1.1 million beneficiaries.

“From January to 30 September 2026, the Free Nutritious Meals programme in West Kalimantan had reached 1.1 million beneficiaries across the province,” said Rahmat Mulyono, head of the West Kalimantan Provincial Office of the Directorate General of Treasury, in Pontianak on Thursday.

By the end of September 2026, the programme was supported by 566 Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG), with around 22,560 people involved in its operations.

Monthly spending data show that the largest disbursement was in January, at approximately Rp391 billion. Spending in September was about Rp58 billion, down on several preceding months.

The September decline was attributed to forest and land fires, which led some schools to switch to online learning under policies set by the provincial and district and city governments.

“Spending did fall in September because of the forest and land fires. Many schools moved teaching and learning online, so the SPPG units did not operate,” he said.

In addition to the impact of the fires, around 15 SPPG units remain temporarily suspended and unable to operate. This is mainly related to online learning, which has disrupted the usual provision of MBG meals at schools.

In terms of service coverage, Sintang Regency was cited as one of the areas with relatively few SPPG units. Its geography and the distribution of villages pose particular challenges: Sintang has nearly 400 villages, although the exact figures and ranking still need to be confirmed.

By contrast, Pontianak City and Kubu Raya Regency were said to have relatively large numbers of SPPG units. However, detailed data on the number of units and spending in each regency and city still need to be verified.

The annual budget requirement for the MBG programme in West Kalimantan is estimated at around Rp3 trillion. This remains an estimate and depends on the number of operating SPPG units and the costs of services provided by each unit.

The government is also coordinating with the Cooperatives Office and elements of Kodam XII/Tanjungpura to monitor the programme’s progress.

According to the information provided, West Kalimantan has a target of around 600 SPPG units, while some facilities already built are using existing premises to begin providing services.