"I think the number of jobs created by the MBG program has reached nearly 900 thousand to 1 million," he said at a forum on the first year of the Prabowo-Gibran administration in Jakarta on Thursday.
According to him, his agency has so far operated 11,918 nutritional fulfillment service units (SPPGs) or MBG kitchens in 509 districts and cities, creating at least 450 thousand jobs.
"In terms of employment, there are now 450,000 people directly involved in SPPGs, and furthermore, one SPPG requires at least 15 suppliers, supplying rice, milk, fish, chicken, and others," Hindayana remarked.
These achievements, he said, have indicated the free meals program's significant economic potential.
The MBG program was launched by the Indonesian government on January 6, 2025, as one of the priority programs of President Prabowo Subianto, aimed at improving the nutritional status of children under five, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and schoolchildren up to the high school level.
The MBG Program aims to improve nutrition, reduce stunting, and stimulate the local economy by sourcing products from farmers, livestock breeders, and small and medium enterprises.
With a target of 82.9 million beneficiaries across, the program is one of the largest programs implemented in the country.
President Prabowo earlier stated that the number of free meals beneficiaries has reached 35.4 million people as of October 15.
Speaking at the Forbes Global CEO Conference 2025 in Jakarta on Wednesday, he noted that the program was initiated to follow the steps of several other countries that have already implemented such programs, such as India and Brazil.
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Translator: Tri Meilani, Raka Adji
Editor: Primayanti
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