Serang (ANTARA) - Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto has taken the initiative to establish a kitchen for the government's Free Nutritious Meals program at an Islamic boarding school he owns in Serang, Banten.
Susanto broke ground for the kitchen, officially called the nutrition fulfillment service unit (SPPG), at Bai Mahdi Sholeh Ma'mun Islamic Boarding School on Sunday.
"The construction of this SPPG underscores the importance of public participation in the program, which requires approximately 30,000 kitchens nationwide," he stated.
The SPPG is being developed with an estimated cost of Rp1.5 billion (over US$92,000) on land measuring 20 x 20 square meters.
"The entire budget for this project is funded by our foundation, with no involvement from the Ministry of Villages or the National Nutrition Agency (BGN)," he emphasized.
Construction is expected to be completed within one to two months.
Susanto referred to the village fund, totaling Rp71 trillion (nearly US$4.4 billion), and stated that his ministry would continue urging rural administrations to allocate a portion of it to initiatives supporting food security, including the meals program.
He emphasized that village governments must allocate at least 20 percent of their funds to support the supply chains of essential food materials and ingredients for the program.
BGN Deputy for Procurement and Distribution Suwardi stated that the SPPG, designed to serve 3,000 beneficiaries, is expected to begin operations as early as April.
