Jakarta. Indonesia has completed the construction of 222 facilities designed to support the distribution of free nutritious meals to schoolchildren and pregnant women, Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo said on Saturday.

The infrastructure is part of the government’s broader effort to support President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meals program, which aims to improve nutrition among school-age children and pregnant women while helping reduce chronic child stunting across the country.

The facilities are expected to serve as operational hubs for thousands of community kitchens that will prepare and distribute meals as the program expands nationwide.

The facilities, known as Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG), are spread across 30 provinces, including a number of remote and underdeveloped regions, Dody said.

According to the minister, site selection for the facilities was carried out in coordination with the National Nutrition Agency and the Home Affairs Ministry to ensure they are located in areas where nutrition services are most needed.

“The process of handing over the facilities to the National Nutrition Agency is currently underway. The agency will inspect each site individually before it is put into operation. However, in general, all construction work has been completed,” Dody said in Jakarta.

He added that the Public Works Ministry plans to coordinate with the agency’s new leadership in the near future to ensure the facilities can be utilized efficiently and become fully operational as soon as possible.

The centers are expected to expand access to nutritious meal services, particularly in regions that have long faced transportation and communications challenges.

Two of the facilities are located along Indonesia’s border with Timor-Leste in East Nusa Tenggara province. Each covers an area of approximately 1,400 square meters.

Every SPPG facility is equipped with a large-scale kitchen, washing areas for food ingredients and equipment, dry and cold storage facilities, equipment storage rooms, parking areas, clean water systems, and wastewater treatment installations.

Add as a preferred source on Google +