Finance Ministry: Free Nutritious Meals programme budget absorption reaches Rp44 trillion by 9 March 2026

Jakarta — Deputy Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara reported that budget absorption for the Free Nutritious Meals (Makan Bergizi Gratis/MBG) programme has reached Rp44 trillion as of 9 March 2026.

This realisation represents approximately 13.1 per cent of the total MBG programme budget in the 2026 state budget, which was set at Rp335 trillion. The programme has reached 61.62 million beneficiaries, supported by 25,082 Nutrition Service Units (Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi/SPPG) across various regions.

At a state budget press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday, Suahasil detailed that of the total beneficiaries, approximately 49.9 million are students, whilst 10.5 million come from non-student groups. “The MBG programme includes provisions for school students. For students, we currently have approximately 50 million beneficiaries as of February, and 10.5 million non-student recipients,” he said.

The non-student group comprises pregnant women, nursing mothers, and infants.

By geographical distribution, Java Island recorded the largest number of beneficiaries at 35.47 million people, followed by Sumatra with 12.63 million beneficiaries and Kalimantan with 2.63 million. Sulawesi recorded 4.49 million beneficiaries, Maluku-Papua 2.88 million, and Bali-Nusa Tenggara 3.52 million beneficiaries.

Suahasil emphasised that the government will continue to ensure the MBG programme is implemented with good governance and efficient budget utilisation. “We will certainly ensure this is executed with good governance, implemented efficiently, and that budgets are available for the Free Nutritious Meals programme,” he added.