Free Nutritious Meals Distribution on Saturdays Abolished. How Much Savings?

Deputy Finance Minister Juda Agung stated that abolishing the distribution of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme on Saturdays could save the budget around Rp1 trillion in one day. Juda explained that this step is part of the government’s sharpening or refocusing of spending to ensure the implementation of priority programmes runs more efficiently and with higher quality.

“MBG, for example, which previously provided free lunches on Saturdays, has now been eliminated. One day can save one trillion,” said Juda during the Policy Dialogue session at the Kick Off Acceleration of Indonesia’s Intermediation (PINISI) event in Jakarta on Monday, 27 April 2026, as quoted by Antara.

He explained that the policy is considered more logical because students do not need to come to school just to receive meals. According to him, the savings could reach around Rp4 trillion in a month if calculated over four weeks.

“Four times in a month can save or economise Rp4 trillion. In a year, of course, we can save around Rp50 trillion,” he said.

In addition to Saturdays, the government has abolished MBG distribution during school holidays as part of the programme’s sharpening. Juda emphasised that the government remains committed to running priority programmes, but with a more targeted and quality-oriented approach.

“This is refocusing or sharpening. We are still carrying out the existing priority programmes with higher quality and more sharply,” he stated.

He added that the government is also evaluating nutritional fulfilment service units (SPPG) that do not meet nutritional standards. According to him, the government will take firm action by temporarily suspending the operations of SPPGs that do not meet those standards.

Juda said the spending sharpening is being carried out to keep the state revenue and expenditure budget (APBN) deficit under control amid global oil price pressures.

He further noted that the government is holding back increases in subsidised fuel prices to protect people’s purchasing power, even though it implies an increase in subsidies.

To that end, the government is carrying out spending controls and revenue optimisation, including through the coretax taxation system and potential revenues from rising commodity prices such as coal and crude palm oil (CPO).