Pontianak, Thekabarnews.com—The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of West Kalimantan says that the free meals program (MBG) is starting to have a real effect on how much food people buy and how much money they have in the province.
BPS’ West Kalimantan head Muh Saichudin said that the program has helped families get better nutrition and made it easier for them to pay their bills. He says that the project has helped lower poverty levels more generally throughout 2025.
“The poverty rate in West Kalimantan went down from 6.16 percent in March 2025 to 5.97 percent in September 2025,” Saichudin said.
He added that the drop was due to better agricultural production, faster economic growth in the region, and stronger social protection programs like MBG.
The province’s economy grew by 5.39 percent during this time, thanks to more rice being grown and people spending more money at home. Saichudin stressed that government help programs were only one part of keeping low-income communities’ buying power strong.
The MBG program gives free healthy meals to people who qualify. This has improved their diets and reduced their daily food costs. The MBG helps families meet their other basic needs by lowering their essential expenses.
BPS data shows that higher agricultural output helped keep rural incomes stable, especially in farming communities. These things, along with social protection measures, helped improve welfare indicators across the province.
Officials say that reducing poverty needs long-term economic growth and consistent policies, but the early data shows that targeted social programs can help households become more resilient.
BPS’ West Kalimantan closely monitors income and spending patterns to assess their long-term impact. In the next few years, officials hope that combining strategies for economic growth and social protection will help lower poverty rates even more.
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