Free Nutritious Meal Budget to Be Cut Again, Palace Says Funding Needs Could Drop Below IDR 268 Trillion

The government has given a strong signal that the budget requirement for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme could potentially be reduced further from the previously set ceiling of IDR 268 trillion. The savings are expected to emerge after the government completes a comprehensive restructuring of the programme’s governance, which is currently underway. Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi emphasised that the government is not directly discussing budget cuts. However, interim evaluation results indicate the programme’s real funding needs are likely lower than the projections previously used. “It is not a cut, but based on the calculation results, we believe there will be a reduction in the budget requirement for this free nutritious meal programme,” Prasetyo Hadi said at Graha Mandiri Building, Central Jakarta, on Thursday, 11 June 2026. According to Prasetyo, the government is currently recalculating together with the Ministry of Finance and the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to obtain a more accurate budget requirement after the programme restructuring process is completed. “That is why we asked for time to also calculate with the Ministry of Finance and with BGN,” he said. “So, from the restructuring process, we will be able to calculate more carefully what the actual total budget needed for this nutritious meal programme will be,” he continued. When asked whether the evaluation also covered the operational incentives received by MBG kitchens, Prasetyo confirmed that all cost components would be included in the recalculation process. “All, all, all,” he said. The evaluation step was taken after the government previously cut the MBG budget ceiling to IDR 268 trillion from an initial allocation of IDR 335 trillion. The adjustment was made following President Prabowo Subianto’s directive for the programme’s implementation to run more effectively and efficiently. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa previously revealed that the government still had room for further savings in the programme, which is one of the main priorities of Prabowo’s administration. Amid the evaluation process, the government is targeting the restructuring of MBG governance to be completed within approximately one month. “Our initial target is that this must be completed within one month. But of course, everything has its dynamics,” said Prasetyo.