TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto called the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Dadan Hindayana when inspecting the flood in Tambun Inpres Village, Buni Bakti Village, Babelan District, Bekasi Regency, on Saturday, March 8, 2025. Prabowo stated that the Free Nutritious Meals program has not reached that area.

Initially, Prabowo asked Dadan about the number of Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG) or nutritious meal kitchens in Bekasi. Then, he mentioned the absence of a kitchen in Babelan Regency. Also, Nutritious Free Meals have not yet reached that area.

"The meals haven't reached here yet, in Babelan District. The condition here is severely flooded. This is an elementary school. SDN 04 is still submerged. So we have to think about what to do later," said Prabowo as quoted from the president's communication team's official statement on Sunday, March 9, 2025.

Dadan then mentioned that there are SPPG kitchens in Bekasi. When in Bekasi Regency, there are two kitchens. BGN has planned to add a public kitchen in that area. The new SPPG kitchen is being built in high areas to avoid flooding.

"Yes, Sir. Currently, in Bekasi, there is one kitchen that is not operational yet, still submerged in flood. But the others are still operating," Dadan replied.

Dadan added that BGN is also preparing a large kitchen in Jakarta to supply food when kitchens in certain areas have problems, for example, like this flood.

The Free Nutritious Meal program started at the beginning of January. The initial budget for this program was allocated at Rp 71 trillion. Then President Prabowo Subianto decided to increase the budget for Nutritious Free Meals by Rp 100 trillion, making it a total of Rp 171 trillion.

In the first period, January-April 2025, it is targeted that there will be three million beneficiaries of the Free Nutritious Meals program. Then in the next stage, April-August 2025, the target is to increase to six million beneficiaries. Prabowo aims for 82 million people to enjoy nutritious meals by the end of 2025.

Dadan stated that the government needs additional funds to reach the acceleration target of the free nutritious meal program, which will reach 82.9 million beneficiaries in 2025. The current budget for nutritious meals is Rp 71 trillion, and the acceleration of the program requires an additional budget of around Rp 25 trillion per month. "If the acceleration starts in September, we will need Rp 100 trillion," Dadan said at the Presidential Palace, Central Jakarta, on Monday, February 24, 2025.

Dadan estimated that with this acceleration, the budget in 2026 will need an additional Rp 28 trillion per month. The budget increases because the number of recipients has increased. According to him, the ideal acceleration can be carried out in September 2025. The consideration is that BGN is currently preparing several things, such as human resources (HR).

Currently, HR only reaches 2,000 workers. The government is currently educating 30,000 workers. "These 30,000 workers will only complete their education at the end of July. So, they will be ready at the beginning of August," Dadan said.

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