Free Nutritious Meal Programme Budget Slashed to Rp229 Trillion, Further Cuts Possible

The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has revealed that the budget for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme has been cut to Rp229 trillion for 2026. However, the budget for one of President Prabowo Subianto’s priority programmes could potentially be reduced further.

BGN Principal Secretary Lili Khamiliyah stated that the agency has undergone budget efficiency measures before improvements to the programme’s governance were made. The MBG programme budget, originally set at Rp268 trillion, was reduced to Rp229 trillion.

“For the time being in 2026, we have experienced budget efficiency, from Rp268 trillion to Rp229 trillion,” she said during a press conference at the BGN Building in Jakarta on Tuesday.

BGN Deputy Head Agustina Arumsari added that the Rp39 trillion reduction in the MBG programme budget is still a provisional figure. According to her, the budget could potentially decrease further as the agency is currently making efforts to improve governance, including refocusing the programme’s beneficiaries.

She explained that the agency aims to make the MBG programme run efficiently. The budget will be adjusted automatically after the refocusing study is completed.

“The President’s message is that the programme must be of higher quality. He also no longer targets the number of beneficiaries to reach 81 million people in 2026,” she said.

Arumsari mentioned that the current number of MBG programme beneficiaries has reached 62.7 million people. The agency will sharpen the quality of the programme from this existing base and prioritise the 3T regions (frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped areas).

The BGN’s budget for this year had previously been cut by approximately Rp67 trillion. This was announced by Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa during the APBN KiTa May 2026 edition press conference, where the MBG programme budget was reduced from Rp335 trillion to Rp268 trillion.