BGN: Government Allocates Rp 1 Trillion Daily for Free Nutritious Meals Programme in Aceh-Papua

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) for Operational Nutrition Fulfilment, Sony Sonjaya, revealed that the government is allocating Rp 1 trillion daily for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. “For community empowerment to be optimal, there must be costs, and this is the cost—concrete, tangible—nearly Rp 1 trillion every day that the government disburses to the people from Aceh to Papua,” Sony stated during the event “One Year of the Free Nutritious Meals Journey in Community Empowerment” at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture office in Central Jakarta on Thursday (16/4/2026). Sony explained that the state budget directly flows and is felt by grassroots communities. “The money is channelled by the government directly to the grassroots. From Aceh to Papua, from villages to metropolises, all absorb this money,” he said. “Thus, the money flows to our brothers and sisters in poverty groups—Rp 117 billion per day (volunteer incentives) absorbed by 1.8 million souls,” he added. Furthermore, Sony noted that rice traders, chicken, eggs, and others also benefit from the MBG programme. “Over Rp 600 billion is absorbed by whom? By rice traders, chicken traders, egg traders, meat traders, vegetable traders, fruit traders,” he said. “Now, I want to address and refute opinions that MBG flows to the elite—yes, correctly, to the struggling economy,” he emphasised.