Finance Minister: Free Nutritious Meals Programme Suspended During Eid al-Fitr, Saving Budget

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa stated that suspending the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme during Eid al-Fitr could save several trillion rupiah in the budget. “The MBG head has already reported it, right? They say the programme will be paused during the holiday. It’s a significant saving of several trillion. I’ve read it too,” said Minister Purbaya when met at the State Palace in Jakarta on Thursday. “So, during the holiday, no MBG will be disbursed; that’s a considerable saving. It will resume as usual afterwards,” he added. Purbaya was referring to the statement by the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, who said the MBG programme would be suspended during Eid al-Fitr, potentially saving around Rp5 trillion in the budget. He noted that the MBG programme would resume distribution to beneficiaries starting 31 March 2026. “That’s about Rp5 trillion saved that way,” he said. Dadan also explained that no MBG distribution would occur for all target beneficiaries, both students and non-students, from 18-24 March. Instead, distributions would be brought forward. Purbaya said the MBG is a good programme because it helps many people, especially lower-class groups. However, he believes its implementation can still be optimised. “The MBG will be made more efficient, including how they spend. I think MBG is a good programme because not everyone is wealthy. It’s just that its implementation needs to be optimised,” said Purbaya. Currently, the Finance Minister is also preparing budget efficiency plans for several ministries and agencies as one of the efforts to keep the 2026 State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN) deficit below three percent.