Andrew Tito, Jakarta – Private partners who have invested in kitchens for Indonesia's free school meals program staged a protest outside the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) headquarters on Monday, demanding clarity on operating permits and schedules for facilities they have already built but cannot yet use.
The protesters, representing nutrition service units known as SPPGs from West Java, said they were facing mounting financial pressure after spending their own money on construction, with some relying on loans, while waiting for approval to begin operations.
Iman Rohiman, the protest coordinator, said the partners wanted the agency to explain its policies on the future of kitchens that had remained idle despite being built through the government's designated registration process.
The facilities were developed to support President Prabowo Subianto's Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, which aims to provide meals for more than 80 million schoolchildren and other beneficiaries.
"This is a peaceful protest. We have come from West Java to seek clarity on the policies concerning our kitchens and the investments we have made, which have been left idle for a long time," Iman said.
He said the partners had followed procedures outlined through the BGN's online portal when applying to establish the kitchens. They were therefore questioning a subsequent moratorium that had affected facilities already built.
"BGN instructs us to build these kitchens and must take responsibility for those instructions," he said.
The moratorium comes as the government undertakes a major review of the MBG program following a series of mass food poisoning incidents, budget concerns, and allegations of corruption. The initiative, overseen by the BGN, is undergoing tighter scrutiny and governance reforms under what officials have described as MBG 2.0.
The agency has temporarily halted the construction of new kitchens and suspended thousands of existing facilities for improvements to sanitation, waste management, and beneficiary verification.
The program has also undergone budget reductions. Its allocation for the 2026 state budget was initially planned at Rp 335 trillion ($18.4 billion) before being cut to Rp 268 trillion on Prabowo's instructions. Sudaryono later announced a further reduction to Rp 229 trillion following a 100-day evaluation, with around Rp 44 trillion returned to state coffers.
Iman said some partners had borrowed money from various sources to finance construction, expecting to operate the facilities as part of the government program.
However, the lack of certainty over operating permits and schedules had left them carrying the financial burden of investments that were yet to generate returns.
The protesters called on the BGN to provide concrete solutions, including clarification of the status of completed kitchens, licensing procedures, and timelines for starting operations.
They also sought a meeting with BGN chief Sudaryono, whom they wanted to convey their concerns and discuss possible solutions.
Iman said the private partners had invested their own money because they wanted to support the president's flagship program and help expand the infrastructure needed to deliver meals.
"Our only hope is to meet Sudaryono and have a dialogue. We are partners, ordinary people who support the president's program. We have spent our own money to help make this program successful," he said.
The protesters said they had waited outside the agency's headquarters since the morning but had yet to meet the officials they wanted to speak with.
They stressed that the demonstration was peaceful and hoped the agency would respond to their demands.
The protest highlights concerns among some private partners involved in the MBG program over the uncertainty surrounding kitchen approvals and operations after construction investments have already been made.
The partners urged the BGN to explain the moratorium, clarify the status of pending applications, and establish a mechanism to resolve the situation facing facilities that have been completed but remain unused.
The BGN had not issued an official response to the protesters' demands at the time of writing.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/investors-left-with-debt-as-indonesias-free-meal-kitchens-sit-idl