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January 23, 2025 | 11:59 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The free nutritious meal program (MBG) will continue throughout Ramadan. The head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, said the program introduced by President Prabowo Subianto will run throughout 2025, including during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.
Dadan said, there will be a different distribution scheme of the free nutritious meals for fasting students during Ramadan. "So, when the fasting month arrives, children will still go to school, but when they go home, they will bring food to eat when they break the fast," said Dadan at the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) office in Jakarta on Thursday, January 23, 2025.
According to Dadan, BGN will adjust the menu to ensure the meals are decent for consumption during the fast-breaking. "So, the food won’t be freshly cooked, but we will prepare nutritious foods that are appropriate for fast-breaking. For example, milk, dates, and fruits," said Dadan.
Dadan also revealed that BGN will consider ready-to-eat menu options. "These won’t be cooked, but we will provide ready-to-eat foods," he added.
In addition, Dadan stated that the nutritious meal program will continue at the pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) that have been part of the program throughout Ramadan. "So, the nutritious meal program will continue during fasting for those in the pesantren, as the service support is provided at the boarding school. Therefore, the food will be served at iftar time. But for those sent to school, the food will be brought home after school," he said.
President Prabowo Subianto previously apologized for the fact that not all children have received free nutritious meals yet, but he assured that the allocation of funds for the program is sufficient. The President said that the challenge is that it is physically difficult to implement the program across the entire population immediately, and administratively, it cannot be completed overnight. "But I am confident that by the end of 2025, all children in Indonesia will receive nutritious meals," he said when met in Sumedang, West Java, on Monday, January 20, 2025.
He acknowledged that the large-scale program is no small task and requires cooperation from all relevant agencies. "I guarantee that the funds are available. I guarantee that the funds are there for all children in Indonesia," said Prabowo.
Dani Aswara contributed to this article.
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