Free Nutritious Meal Programme Efficiency to Save State Budget Rp1 Trillion Monthly

Head of the Government Communication Body (Bakom) Muhammad Qodari stated that efficiency measures in the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme will save the State Budget (APBN) around Rp1 trillion each month. Speaking at a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday, Qodari emphasised the government’s commitment to improving the programme’s governance, including a moratorium on new Nutritional Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG), recalculating incentives, and focusing on the target groups most in need. “According to reports or meetings held some time ago at the Coordinating Ministry for Food, the calculation could save up to approximately Rp1 trillion per month. That means it could save Rp12 trillion annually,” Qodari said. He added that other innovative efficiency measures from the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) are awaiting the results of a comprehensive review to be conducted during the school holiday period. Evaluations will include recalculating incentives, assessing the number of SPPGs, and optimising benefits for breastfeeding mothers, pregnant women, and toddlers. “The focus will also be on building SPPGs in the 3T regions (frontier, outermost, and disadvantaged) so that these most vulnerable groups can receive maximum benefits,” he stated. The government has previously cut the MBG programme’s budget ceiling in the 2026 State Budget from Rp335 trillion to Rp268 trillion. Deputy Head of BGN Agustina Arumsari, following a meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Monday, June 15, conveyed that MBG would be focused on groups most in need of nutritional intervention, such as pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, toddlers, and early childhood. Senior high school students, particularly those from affluent families, may potentially no longer be targeted as MBG recipients. She stated that after reorganising the beneficiary list, BGN will focus on improving SPPG governance. At a meeting at the Coordinating Ministry for Food on Thursday, June 11, Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan noted that the number of SPPGs has now exceeded the initial target of around 21,000 locations, currently standing at 27,877 points, an excess of 6,877 points.