Free Nutritious Meal Budget Slashed Again, Purbaya: Lower Than IDR 268 Trillion

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has stated that the budget for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme will be further slashed to below the current allocation of Rp268 trillion.

“It will be below that (Rp268 trillion). However, the details will be reported later by the Head of the BGN,” said Purbaya during a press conference at the Juanda Building on Friday (26/06/2026).

The Ministry of Finance and the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) have agreed to reduce the MBG budget following a meeting with the Head of the BGN, Nanik S. Deyang, at the Ministry of Finance office on Thursday afternoon (25/06/2026).

“Yesterday I met with the Head of the BGN here (Ministry of Finance). She reported that there will be further savings from the MBG programme. I believe the savings will be quite significant, but the Head of the BGN will announce it later,” said Purbaya.

Purbaya continued, noting that the MBG budget after further cuts could be lower than the Rp268 trillion allocated for 2026. This figure itself is a reduction from the previous MBG budget, which reached Rp335 trillion this year.

“The reduction is clearly significant, which ensures our budget becomes more secure. The cut will be substantial, but I did not propose it; the Head of the BGN did. Therefore, inquiries can be directed to the Head of the BGN,” he explained.

Purbaya added that the evaluation and budget cuts for the MBG programme will not reduce the portion sizes or the nutritional content of the meals.

“So, we are ensuring that the food remains nutritious. However, the Head of the BGN is better positioned to address that,” he clarified.

In accordance with Presidential directives, efficiency measures for the MBG programme have been implemented, bringing the budget down to Rp268 trillion from the original Rp335 trillion set for this year.