Zulhas: MGB Kitchen Must Not Be Supplied by Conglomerates, Must Go Through Kopdes

Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas), has emphasised that the Nutrition Provision and Fulfilment Units (SPPG), which provide meals under the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, must not be supplied by conglomerates. Zulhas stated that the raw material needs for MBG menus must be met through Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (Kopdes) or Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes). “SPPG must no longer be supplied by conglomerates. Kopdes will purchase eggs and vegetables from the community and supply SPPG,” said Zulhas while attending the 68th anniversary of West Lombok Regency on Friday (17/4/2026). According to Zulhas, this provision is regulated in the governance of the MBG programme implementation. The Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) explained that SPPGs still sourcing raw materials from other parties will face graduated sanctions up to closure. “If they still source from elsewhere, they can be given SP1, SP2, SP3, or even closed,” Zulhas stated. Zulhas noted that the number of MBG programme recipients currently stands at 82.9 million people. He claimed that this figure requires a massive supply of raw materials, and the presence of Kopdes serves as a solution to meet the needs of the MBG kitchen. “Thus, we need 82.9 million eggs per day. Therefore, we have introduced the next policy, namely Kopdes,” added the former Minister of Trade. Zulhas said that the Kopdes Merah Putih and Merah Putih Fishing Village programmes are currently in progress, including the recruitment of management personnel or workers. “We are now recruiting 30,000 Kopdes Merah Putih managers and 5,467 Merah Putih Fishing Village managers. They will also be assisted by three PPPK in each regency,” he concluded.