{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1961102,
        "msgid": "will-indonesia-cut-free-nutritious-meal-budget-1788576651",
        "date": "2026-09-05 09:03:32",
        "title": "Will Indonesia Cut Free Nutritious Meal Budget?",
        "author": "",
        "source": "TEMPO_EN",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) is considering reducing the 2027 budget for the free nutritious meal programme to below Rp200 trillion. This potential reduction follows efficiency measures aimed at eliminating duplicate beneficiaries and streamlining programme operations in coordination with the Ministry of Finance.",
        "content": "<p>Will Indonesia Cut Free Nutritious Meal Budget?<\/p>\n<p>Reporter<\/p>\n<p>September 5, 2026 | 09:03 am<\/p>\n<p>TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has opened\nthe possibility of reducing the 2027 budget for the free nutritious meal\n(MBG) program to below Rp200 trillion. BGN Head Sudaryono said the\ngovernment will recalculate the program\u2019s budget requirements and\ndiscuss it with the Minister of Finance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s possible to be below Rp200 trillion,\u201d Sudaryono said after a\nmeeting with the parliament on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>According to Sudaryono, the budget for MBG remains subject to change\nas calculations are made based on target beneficiaries and program\nneeds. He added that the BGN will strive for efficiency to optimize\nbudget utilization. \u201cWe\u2019ll discuss it again with the Minister of\nFinance, and we\u2019ll also discuss it internally, and we\u2019ll recalculate\nit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The government earlier set the 2027 MBG budget at Rp240 trillion, but\nSudaryono said the figure is open to more reductions.<\/p>\n<p>He claimed that BGN had implemented efficiency measures in the 2026\nMBG budget. After combing through and updating beneficiary data, the\nbudget was reduced to around Rp229 trillion from a Rp268 trillion\nceiling.<\/p>\n<p>These efficiency measures were implemented after BGN discovered\napproximately 6 million duplicate beneficiaries. He explained that the\ndouble registrations included students from Islamic boarding schools who\nwere also registered as students at public schools. BGN also discovered\nMBG kitchens that already had virtual accounts and beneficiary lists,\nbut were not yet operational.<\/p>\n<p>BGN then withdrew VA from 414 kitchens. Of these withdrawals,\napproximately Rp311 billion was returned to the state treasury.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to updating recipient data, BGN is also evaluating\nbeneficiaries from elite private schools.<\/p>\n<p>Sudaryono said further efficiency measures can be implemented if\ndiscrepancies in data or activities are found. Therefore, he did not\nrule out the possibility of the 2027 MBG budget being below Rp200\ntrillion.<\/p>\n<p>Previously, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said the government\nwould consider streamlining the MBG budget to below Rp200 trillion per\nyear. This plan, he said, had been discussed with BGN Head Sudayono.\n\u201cI\u2019ve spoken with the new Head of BGN. It seems possible to make the\nbudget more efficient,\u201d he said in Jakarta, as reported by Antara on\nThursday, September 3, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Read: More Free Meal Poisonings Hit Indonesia: 7 Sick in Bengkulu<\/p>\n<p>Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google\nNews<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/will-indonesia-cut-free-nutritious-meal-budget-1788576651",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}