President Prabowo: Free Nutritious Meal Program is Investment for Nation’s Future

President Prabowo delivers his remarks at the Plenary Cabinet Meeting in the Cabinet Room, at the Presidential Palace Jakarta, on Monday (5/05). (Photo by: BPMI of the Presidential Secretariat)

President Prabowo Subianto expressed his appreciation for the implementation of the free nutritious meal program (MBG), which has continued to show significant progress since its launch in January 2025. In his remarks at the Plenary Cabinet Meeting in the Cabinet Room, at the Presidential Palace Jakarta, on Monday (5/05), the Head of State emphasized that the program is not merely about food, but is the country’s investment in building a healthy and quality generation.

“As of today, from the report I just received, there are more than a thousand locations (of the MBG program), 1.286 precisely, with more than 3 million students benefiting from the program. At the beginning of May, there were 3.4 million students and the number is estimated to reach 4 million by the end of May. Moreover, it is estimated to reach 6 million by the end of June and 22 million by the end of August. Therefore, hopefully, by the end of November 2025, this program will reach 82.9 million students,” the President said.

The President emphasized that the scale and logistical complexity of the MBG program are massive. So, although the success rate of the MBG program has reached 99 percent, he reminded all parties not to feel too satisfied.

“Whatever effort we are making, if the level of achievement is 99,99%, will mean a success. However, we shouldn’t feel too satisfied, especially to Pak Dadan (the Head of the National Nutrition Agency/BGN), please bear this in mind. We will see again the outcome in December 2025,” the President said.

Moreover, the President also emphasized the importance of making zero mistakes in implementing the MBG program. The President then expressed his appreciation to the Head of BGN and all of his staff, for their high standard and commitment to implementing MBG.

“Many people already express much negativity surrounding MBG program, they say it is an impossible program, and they don’t think this program will be successful. Therefore, we need to prove them wrong by implementing this program with good intention, strong determination, and the right techniques,” the President added.

Additionally, President Prabowo stated that the success of the MBG program has drawn international attention. Bill Gates, a world’s prominent figure, is even scheduled to visit Indonesia on May 7, 2025, to show his support and appreciation for MBG program.

“I feel very happy now (with the achievement of the MBG program), but then I told myself, it is still ongoing, so we cannot claim it to be a success yet. We will call it a success, insha Allah (if God’s willing) in December 2025. By that time, we need to prove that MBG will be able to reach 82,9 million students with quality food, and then we will deserve to receive congratulations from people.

In front of all of the cabinet members, the President expressed his belief that the real success of the MBG program will be achieved by the end of 2025. He believes that this program will be an investment for Indonesian children and will be able to help reduce poverty.

“As I said, whatever the situation is, and whether we are rewarded or not, we shouldn’t make it a problem. We believe that this program is the right thing to do, so we should implement it because this is a good investment for Indonesian children,” the President concluded. (Bureau of Press, Media, and Information of the Presidential Secretariat) (TCUD/TM)