TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said he is aware of plans to streamline or reduce the budget needs of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, stressing that any adjustments will follow President Prabowo Subianto’s direction.
The state treasurer said the government has not yet disclosed the scale of any potential reduction in the program’s funding needs.
“We will follow the President’s decision,” Purbaya said after a meeting at the House of Representatives building in Jakarta on Thursday, June 11, 2026.
Discussions on budget efficiency for the large-scale program resurfaced after National Nutrition Agency (BGN) head Nanik S. Deyang met President Prabowo at the Presidential Palace on the same day. Nanik said she was reporting to the president on program implementation.
“Budget efficiency, good news. Let it decrease, let it decrease, efficiency,” she said.
Following a 30-minute meeting, Nanik said the efficiency measures were welcomed by President Prabowo. One of the proposed steps includes reviewing beneficiary data, including the possibility of excluding children from higher-income households.
Separately, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said there is a possibility that the program’s budget requirements could be reduced, although he stressed that this does not necessarily mean a cut in budget allocation.
“It’s not a reduction. But based on our calculations, we believe the budget needs for the program could decrease,” he said.
The government initially allocated Rp335 trillion for the MBG program in 2026, later revised to Rp268 trillion.
According to the Ministry of Finance, budget realization for MBG had reached Rp88.15 trillion by the end of May 2026, up 17.5 percent from Rp75 trillion in the previous month.
As of May, the program had reached 63.13 million beneficiaries, consisting of 48.9 million students and 14.3 million non-students, slightly higher than 62 million in April.
The number of food service units, known as Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG) or simply MBG kitchens, stood at 29,670 by the end of May.
Read: Zulhas Reveals MBG Kitchen Overrun Wastes Rp1tn Monthly
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