Antara News·Indonesia·Tuesday, October 27, 2026 at 11:36 AM UTC

Minister says MBG program creates 1.3 million jobs

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Bayu Prasetyo

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar said the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program had created employment opportunities for 1.3 million people from poor households.

"Among programs funded through the state budget, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) is the best example. It has built an economic ecosystem in a very short time, providing jobs for 1.3 million poor people," Muhaimin said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He praised the program, which is funded through the state budget.

According to Muhaimin, at least 148,500 new business operators had joined the MBG program's supply chain.

In addition, around 63,100 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) were involved as suppliers in the program's economic ecosystem.

Muhaimin said the MBG program demonstrated how government spending could create economic opportunities by generating employment and involving business operators.

He encouraged ministries and government agencies to learn from this model so that every budget allocation would also help boost productivity and strengthen community self-reliance.

Muhaimin stressed that empowerment must become a mainstream priority in the government's budget policy.

He called for empowerment-related spending to no longer be treated as a supplementary component, but instead as an integral part of development planning and implementation.

"I ask the Minister of Finance to stop cutting empowerment budgets. Empowerment must be at the heart of our state budget," Muhaimin said.

He also called for the expansion of both the groups involved in empowerment initiatives and the areas targeted by these programs.

He expressed confidence that connecting more programs would give people across the country greater access to jobs, education, and business opportunities.

Through the approach, the minister hoped government spending would be increasingly directed toward generating tangible economic benefits.

"Empowerment should not stop at assisting. It must also create opportunities for people to work, develop businesses, and improve their well-being sustainably," Muhaimin said.

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