Public Support for Free Nutritious Meal Program Grows Stronger

JAKARTA – Public support for the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) initiated by President Prabowo Subianto is growing stronger. President Prabowo himself expressed his happiness when he directly reviewed the implementation of the program at a school.

Prabowo expressed his happiness when seeing children enjoying the nutritious food provided.

“Seeing the enthusiasm of children when receiving and enjoying nutritious food at school is a happiness in itself. Their smiles and joy reflect great hope for the future of Indonesia,” he said.

The President also emphasized that this program aims to ensure that children’s nutritional needs are met in order to support their growth and development. This is in line with the vision of Indonesia Emas 2045, where a healthy and intelligent generation is the main key to national development.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI) together with the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) held a socialization of the MBG Program in Makassar City. The Head of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Ashabul Kahfi, emphasized that the MBG Program is a real step by the government in meeting the nutritional needs of the community, especially vulnerable groups such as school children, toddlers, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.

“This program is an initiative from the President as a real step in meeting the basic needs of the community. Currently, there are still many groups who really need adequate nutritional intake,” said Ashabul.

He also highlighted the stunting rate in Indonesia which is still quite high, namely 21.7 percent, making Indonesia the country with the second highest stunting rate in Southeast Asia. With the MBG Program, it is hoped that this figure can be reduced significantly.

The elected Mayor of Makassar, Munafri Arifuddin (Appi), also expressed his support for the MBG Program. According to him, the implementation of this program at the regional level must be carried out seriously so that its benefits are truly felt by the community.

“We are ready to implement national policies, including the Free Nutritious Meal Program, to the maximum. This is part of an effort to improve the welfare of the Makassar community,” said Appi.

Therefore, he invited all elements of society, local governments, and the media to work together to ensure the smooth implementation of this program.

Support for the MBG Program also came from the Indonesian Nutritionists Association (Persagi) of Bengkulu Province. The Chairperson of the DPD Persagi Bengkulu, Dr. Emy Yuliantini, expressed her readiness to fully support the implementation of this program.

“Persagi is always ready to collaborate and fully support the steps taken by the government for the welfare of the community,” said Dr. Emy.

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