BGN: Budget Cuts for Free Nutritious Meals Programme to Sharpen Beneficiary Targeting

The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has stated that the budget reduction for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme in 2026 is focused on sharpening beneficiary targeting to prioritise quality, in line with the directive of President Prabowo Subianto. BGN Principal Secretary Lili Khamiliyah explained that for the time being, the BGN has made budget efficiencies from Rp268 trillion to Rp229 trillion for 2026. “But that was before the re-screening from budget refocusing and governance changes. So, this is what we are currently working on to resolve what will be affected so that we can execute the state budget effectively, efficiently, and transparently. This status is temporary; it could become more efficient later,” she said during a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday. BGN Deputy Head Agustina Arumsari stated that the sharpening of beneficiaries currently stands at 62.7 million, down from the President’s previous target of 82.9 million MBG recipients. “We have been given more time by the President to sharpen the governance, given one month. So, later with the results of the re-screening from the 62.7 million figure, I am confident it will automatically follow that the number now has a clearer picture. We will go down, and the final figure will await the President’s decision,” she said. She emphasised that budget synchronisation is still ongoing with the Ministry of Finance and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas). The final budget figure will follow the President’s financial note. “The main focus at the moment is improving governance according to the President’s direction. Service quality is prioritised over chasing the number of recipients, and there is no specific recipient target figure that must be pursued in the near term,” she said. To improve beneficiary data in schools, the data will be cross-referenced with the basic education data (dapodik) to prevent duplication and ensure the number of recipients accurately reflects real conditions. “We found in one region that a single school could be served by two different Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG), with some served by SPPG A and others by SPPG B. Going forward, this data will be cross-referenced so that similar incidents do not recur,” Agustina stated.