Government Optimizes Local Economic Potential Through MBG
By: Haikal Fathan Akbar )*
The Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) opens up new opportunities for the food sector, especially for MSMEs who can contribute to their supply chain. By utilizing partnerships built through MBG, MSMEs not only play a role in production, but also receive direct benefits for the development of their businesses.
The government hopes that the involvement of MSMEs in various aspects of MBG, from the provision of raw materials to distribution, will strengthen their position in the national economy. In addition, this program also aims to improve the welfare of local farmers and food producers by creating a stable and sustainable market for their production.
The Minister of MSMEs, Maman Abdurrahman, emphasized that the involvement of MSMEs in MBG is a strategic step in empowering the people’s economic sector. With integrated collaboration, MSMEs can continue to grow and make significant contributions to the national economy.
The government has also taken various initiatives to ensure that this program runs optimally, including involving regional MSMEs in its implementation. The National Nutrition Agency has prepared various schemes so that the MBG program can be implemented by involving local MSMEs, so that its benefits can be felt more widely by the community.
Food needs such as rice, vegetables, meat, and other basic needs will be encouraged to be supplied by regional MSMEs. This aims to ensure that the benefits of the program are not only felt by beneficiaries but also by small business actors in various regions.
The government has even socialized this policy to regional heads to ensure the involvement of MSMEs in the MBG supply chain. Thus, this program not only creates new jobs, but also supports national food security through optimization of local resources.
On the other hand, member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Rina Sa’adah, highlighted the importance of the involvement of MSMEs as suppliers of basic ingredients in the MBG. By collaborating with local food MSMEs, this program can run more efficiently, ensuring the supply of fresh and quality food for beneficiaries, such as school children, toddlers, and pregnant women.
The government is also targeting the construction of 5,000 kitchens in nutritional fulfillment service units (SPPG) in various regions by 2025. This step is expected to accelerate the distribution of nutritious food to all areas in need, especially in remote areas.
According to Rina, the existence of MBG kitchens will increase demand for local food ingredients, such as rice, chicken, eggs, fish, and various vegetables, which will directly drive regional economic growth. The collaboration between MBG kitchens and local MSMEs will create a multiplier effect for the local economy.
In addition, this collaboration can overcome the constraints of transportation costs that are often complained about by farmers and food producers. By utilizing raw materials from the nearest sources, distribution efficiency can be increased, so that food prices remain stable and affordable.
Given the large budget allocated for MBG, this program is a momentum for regional MSMEs to grow and develop. President Prabowo has emphasized that basic ingredients for MBG must come from within the country, without relying on imports.
Therefore, MSMEs are expected to be able to take this opportunity seriously so that they can develop more rapidly in the food sector. With this policy, the national agriculture, livestock, and fisheries sector is projected to experience a significant increase in production, thereby supporting long-term food security.
The implementation of MBG also shows great potential in the utilization of local food ingredients, which can increase the productivity of the national agricultural sector. The Coordinator of the Center for Innovation and Downstreaming of LPPM Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Santi Dwi Astuti, stated that the use of local food in MBG will increase the productivity of agriculture, livestock, and fisheries from upstream to downstream.
This will directly improve the welfare of the community, especially in areas of food commodity centers. With the high demand for this program, farmers and ranchers will be more motivated to increase their production capacity.
The abundant availability of local food in various regions is a major capital for the sustainability of this program. For example, in Central Java there are tuber centers such as cassava in Banjarnegara, potatoes in Wonosobo, and taro in Banyumas. Protein sources are also abundantly available, such as sea fish in Cilacap and tofu and tempeh in Banyumas.
