TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said the government may require less funding than initially projected for Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, although this does not mean the budget allocation will be cut.
“It is not a budget reduction. However, based on our calculations, we believe the funding required for the Free Nutritious Meals program could be lower than previously estimated,” Prasetyo said after a ministerial-level coordination meeting on the program’s implementation at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment office on Thursday, June 11, 2026.
Prasetyo said the government is currently reorganizing the management of the flagship nutrition program, including reassessing its funding requirements. The review involves the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which oversees the program, and the Ministry of Finance.
He said the evaluation is expected to produce a more accurate estimate of the budget needed to run the nationwide initiative.
“That is why we need time to conduct detailed calculations together with the Ministry of Finance and BGN,” he said.
The Gerindra Party politician explained that the ongoing restructuring process would provide a clearer basis for determining the program’s actual funding needs. However, he declined to specify the potential amount of savings or the factors currently under review.
“Through this reorganization process, we can calculate the actual budget required for the nutritious meals program more accurately,” Prasetyo said.
The government initially allocated Rp335 trillion (about US$20.6 billion) for the MBG program in 2026, before revising the figure down to Rp268 trillion.
According to data from the Ministry of Finance, spending on the program had reached Rp88.15 trillion as of May 31, 2026. The figure was up 17.5 percent from Rp75 trillion recorded a month earlier.
By the end of May, the program had served 63.13 million beneficiaries, consisting of 48.9 million students and 14.3 million non-student recipients. The number was slightly higher than the 62 million beneficiaries recorded in April 2026.
Read: New BGN Head Meets Prabowo, Hints at MBG Budget Cut
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