Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto's flagship program, the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG), has shown positive results in trial runs across regions like Minahasa and East Nusa Tenggara since October. Aimed at easing economic burdens and improving health by providing schoolchildren with nutritious meals, the program has garnered strong community support.

Eliza Mardian, a researcher at CORE Indonesia specializing in Agriculture and Industry, found that the program not only boosts children’s school attendance but also increases income for local mothers. However, challenges in production, distribution, and the supply chain need to be addressed to ensure the program’s long-term success and the effective use of the Rp 71 trillion ($4.56 billion) budget.

“Children are getting nutritious food, which boosts their enthusiasm to attend school. Additionally, mothers in the area also gain extra income,” Eliza said on Wednesday.

From her research, Eliza identified three key reasons why the community supports the MBG program. First, it provides nutritious food to children, increasing their enthusiasm to attend school. Additionally, the program has boosted local economic activity, generating income for mothers.

“Mothers usually receive a ‘daily wage’ for cooking. With the MBG program, this adds to the family income. In one trial area, school fees were reduced because schools no longer require contributions for catering. With the reduction of Rp 30,000 in school fees, mothers can allocate that money to buy fruit or milk for their children at home,” Eliza said.

The MBG program has also increased public awareness of balanced nutrition. “Communities, who previously lacked knowledge about the importance of consuming fruits or milk, have started to learn about balanced nutrition. They are becoming more aware of children’s protein needs and healthy eating patterns,” she concluded.

While the trial results show positive community impact, production, distribution, and supply chain challenges remain. Addressing these is crucial to ensuring the MBG program can run optimally, maximize community benefits, and use the Rp 71 trillion budget efficiently.

The MBG program, a government initiative to improve child nutrition and education, will officially launch on January 2, 2025. The program has been allocated Rp 71 trillion to feed 15 million children in its first year, with plans to expand to over 80 million recipients by 2029.

The program will provide meals at Rp 10,000 ($0.63) per portion per day—lower than the initially projected Rp 15,000 due to budget constraints. Trials are already underway in schools across Indonesia, involving local farmers and livestock breeders as food suppliers.

The total estimated budget for the MBG initiative over the next several years is expected to reach Rp 400 trillion.