Jakarta. Hermawati Setyorinny, General Chair of the Indonesian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Industry Association Akumandiri, criticized the government's poor communication regarding MSMEs' involvement in the free nutritious meal (MBG) program.

Hermawati revealed that small businesses, which were promised participation, only learned about the program through media reports.

"Sometimes, it's only through the media that the public learns MSMEs are involved. But from what I've gathered, MSMEs have no information about it. The procedures for implementation are unclear, and MSMEs don’t know if they will be included," Hermawati said Thursday.

She expressed disappointment over the government’s apparent lack of commitment to include MSMEs in the program, which is set to begin on Jan. 6.

"If it starts next week, but there's still no information, how will the trial run work? Which vendors will be used? When the vice president visited schools, perhaps the vendors were already selected," she added.

Although the National Nutrition Agency, which oversees the program, has launched a website at mitra.bgn.id for MSMEs wishing to participate, Hermawati said she had not received any information about this initiative.

"I didn’t know about mitra.bgn.id. This is a common issue in Indonesia with government programs—lack of dissemination. Usually, only those within the inner circle of the government are informed," she explained.

She also expressed concern about the funding for the free nutritious meal program. The government said that each meal portion will cost Rp 10,000, but Hermawati fears that cheaper imported products may be prioritized.

"I hope the government truly partners with MSMEs, whether they are farmers, fishermen, or snack producers, in this program. With a budget of Rp 10,000, it’s a challenge because, for rice, they might look for imported options. The same applies to fruit, as farmers can’t offer low prices when competing with imported products," she concluded.

President Prabowo Subianto introduced the free meal program during his presidential campaign, aiming to secure votes by addressing stunting issues in Indonesian children. According to Prabowo, the program will provide nutrient-rich lunch plates to schoolchildren across the country at no cost.

The MBG program will officially kick off on Jan. 6, 2025, targeting 932 locations in its initial phase. By April, the program will expand to 2,000 locations, with plans to reach 5,000 locations by mid-2025. The first-year budget of Rp 71 trillion ($4.39 billion) will provide meals for 15 million beneficiaries, including children from early childhood education to high school, as well as pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

The government aims to expand the program to 80 million recipients by 2029, with an estimated cost of Rp 400 trillion over several years.