The Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions has stressed that the government’s Free Nutritious Meals program offers a big opportunity for villages to boost their economy.
Head of the ministry’s Information and Development Agency (BPI), Ivanovich Agusta, said that the opportunity is open because the National Nutrition Agency has decided that cooperatives and village-owned enterprises (BUMDes) will supply food for the program.
“It can be used to drive the people’s economy if the institutions that are participating are cooperatives and BUMDes because they are run by village residents,” he explained in a podcast on the BPI’s YouTube channel on Friday.
According to estimates, he added, around Rp35 million (around US$2,240) to Rp40 million (around US$2,560) will be spent per day in each kitchen producing food for the program.
The Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions will also encourage BUMDes, especially those engaged in supplying food, to take advantage of this opportunity.—Antara
