During a briefing for regional heads across Papua in Jakarta on Tuesday, Prabowo received a report from BGN Head Dadan Hindayana that the target of 2,500 operational SPPGs or MBG kitchens across Papua could be realized by March 2026.
However, the president acknowledged that the geographical and on-the-ground conditions in Papua would make it hard to achieve the target in three months, given that there are currently only 179 SPPGs operating in the region.
"We are prepared if there is a delay. I think clearly, we hope that by August 17, 2026, all 2,500 SPPGs in Papua will be operating," he said.
On that occasion, he also asserted that priority programs would be realized across all provinces in Papua, including MBG.
Meanwhile, the BGN Head reported that as of December 16, 2025, a total of 179 SPPGs are operating in Papua.
The budget needed for BGN to operate 2,500 SPPGs in Papua, with a target of 750,000 beneficiaries, is estimated to reach Rp25 trillion (around US$1.5 billion).
Hindayana stated that this estimated budget is naturally higher than the MBG program costs on Java island.
The free meals program was launched on January 6, 2025, as one of the priority programs of President Prabowo, aimed at improving the nutritional status of children under five, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and schoolchildren up to the high school level.
With a target of reaching 82.9 million beneficiaries across Indonesia, the program is one of the largest programs implemented in the country.
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Translator: Mentari Dwi, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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