Free Nutritious Meals Have a Positive Impact on the Agriculture and MSME Sectors
By: Fahmi Citra Budi
The Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) Program has a major impact on the economic sector, especially for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and agriculture in Indonesia. With systematic implementation, this program is able to encourage economic growth in the community at large.
Minister of MSMEs Maman Abdurrahman emphasized that this initiative is not just an effort to improve nutrition, but also opens up new business opportunities in the food and beverage sector, creating a dynamic economic ecosystem at the village level.
Maman assessed that MBG is a catalyst for economic turnover in each region. This program involves various sectors in the food supply chain, creating synergies from upstream to downstream that fully accommodate MSME actors.
In order to ensure its sustainability and effectiveness, the Ministry of MSMEs has prepared a main strategy that includes monitoring and evaluating MSME participants in the program, coordinating with national banks to ensure smooth working capital, and optimizing the food subsector as part of a larger business ecosystem.
On the other hand, Maman also highlighted the importance of collaboration with universities, especially through the MBG Center of Excellence at IPB Dramaga, Bogor. According to him, academic research can become a business opportunity if managed in a Business to Business (B2B)-based cooperation scheme. Through this approach, research results from campuses can be applied in the business world to strengthen food security and expand economic opportunities for the community.
In line with this view, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati also believes that the MBG program will have a positive impact on the national economy. In the BRI Microfinance Outlook 2025 forum, she revealed that this program not only improves the welfare of beneficiaries, but is also able to drive the regional economy through the involvement of MSMEs in the provision of food and distribution. The government has even prepared a budget of IDR 171 trillion to expand the scope of the program and increase the number of schools involved.
Sri Mulyani emphasized that MBG is not just a social program, but a long-term investment in improving the quality of Indonesia’s human resources. With adequate nutritional fulfillment, children can learn more optimally, so that in the long term it will contribute to national economic growth. He also emphasized that program management must continue to be improved so that the effectiveness and distribution of benefits are maximized.
From an economic empowerment perspective, MBG is a great opportunity for MSMEs. The Director of the National Nutrition Fulfillment System of BGN, Dr. Nurjaeni, explained that thousands of central kitchens built in all villages and sub-districts will be managed by cooperatives, BUMDes, and MSMEs.
In addition, business partners involved in providing food ingredients such as rice, vegetables, fish, milk, and eggs will also benefit from this program. With a production capacity of up to 3,000 portions of food per day, business actors can gain significant profits that will improve their economic welfare.
With a systematically designed scheme, the MBG program not only has an impact on improving the nutrition of children and pregnant women, but also becomes a driving force for a community-based economy. Through strong collaboration between the government, academics, and the private sector, this program is expected to be able to create significant changes in national economic development. With the various opportunities offered, the community is expected to be able to take advantage of this program as a momentum to build more advanced and sustainable businesses.
The MBG program also shows how synergy between government policies and community participation can build a stronger economic ecosystem. In the long term, this program not only aims to improve social welfare, but also accelerate inclusive economic growth based on the independence of small and medium enterprises.
Through the active involvement of MSMEs, agriculture, and the education sector, the impact of this program is expected to be felt by various levels of society. The opportunities given to MSMEs to participate as food suppliers and central kitchen managers open up new access to a wider market. With incentives in the form of financial support and regulatory ease, MSMEs can develop further and increase their production capacity.
In addition, the involvement of universities in the MBG program indicates that the education sector has an important role in building research-based solutions for national food security.
