This was conveyed by the BGN's expert in systems and governance, Niken Gandini, while answering questions about requests from the fathers of the Nabire Indigenous Community Institution, Central Papua, who also want to get meals under the program.
"We prioritize pregnant and breastfeeding mothers because they are vulnerable to nutrition. Teenagers are also vulnerable to nutrition," Gandini explained in Nabire, Central Papua, on Tuesday.
"We want pregnant women to have adequate nutrition because babies should be healthy when they are born," she added.
For MBG distribution in Papua, her party will follow the effective school days, considering that in most schools in Nabire, they include Saturdays.
She explained that every nutrition service fulfillment unit (SPPG) starts cooking meals at 2 a.m. every day, and has an economic impact on the surrounding community.
"At 7 a.m., the meals should be ready to be sent to schools. This (program) brings economic empowerment. For example, there are three thousand eggs produced one day, along with chicken, rice, vegetables, and others, all managed by the local community," she said.
She then asked all Papuan people to help the BGN make the MBG Program a success.
The program is expected to boost national independence through food self-sufficiency; encourage the active role of cooperatives; strengthen human resource development; and bring economic growth and eradicate poverty, in keeping with President Prabowo Subianto's Asta Cita missions.
Based on data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the average poor household in Indonesia has 4.78 household members.
"The average number of household members in the poor population is greater than in the middle and upper classes, so government intervention is needed to fulfill nutrition (needs)," Gandini said.
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Translator: Lintang Budiyanti, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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