Jakarta. Indonesian food tray manufacturers, frustrated over being sidelined in the government’s free nutritious meal program, found a creative way to protest on Wednesday -- by sending flower bouquets to Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa.

The bouquets lined the entrance of the Finance Ministry building in Central Jakarta, covered with witty and sarcastic messages criticizing the government’s preference for Chinese-made trays over locally produced ones.

Purbaya became the target because he sits on the Coordinating Team for the nationwide Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) initiative -- a flagship program launched in January to provide free meals to millions of students across Indonesia.

The Association of Indonesian Food Container Producers (Apmaki) claims its members can manufacture up to 11 million food trays per month, all halal-certified and compliant with Indonesian National Standards (SNI). Yet, they say, domestic producers have been largely overlooked in favor of imports.

Some bouquets bore the names of company owners, while others were sent anonymously. Their messages ranged from sarcastic to heartfelt:

“Congratulations to Chinese food trays for thriving -- local producers are just spectators.” (Rudi Santoso)

“Our hearts are broken -- we feel like strangers in our own homeland.” (Siti Aminah)

“Enjoy your imported food trays -- we local producers are going out of business.” (Anonymous)

“The Free Meal Program is noble, but our factories get no orders.” (Anonymous)

“We are local producers, yet in our own country we are treated like guests.” (Anonymous)

“Uphold the constitution -- protect local food tray factories.” (Anonymous)

“Stop pampering imports at the expense of local industry.” (Anonymous)

“Condolences for the death of Indonesia’s local food tray factories.” (Anonymous)

Despite the outcry, government agencies -- including the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) -- maintain that the program does prioritize local suppliers. Officials argue that the domestic supply chain still can’t fully meet demand, leaving imported trays to fill the gap temporarily.

Police investigations in North Jakarta, however, uncovered a more complicated picture: one local supplier was found importing trays from China, allegedly falsifying SNI and halal labels, changing product markings from “Made in China” to “Made in Indonesia,” and even illegally using the BGN logo. Authorities suspect the goods were brought in without paying import duties.

Since the free meal program began in January, the government says it has served 1.4 billion meals to 36.7 million recipients nationwide. The initiative has reportedly created more than 625,000 new jobs and involved nearly 19,000 MSMEs -- though, as this week’s floral protest shows, not everyone feels included in the success story.

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