Luhut on Free Nutritious Meals: Why All at Once? It Could Be Done Gradually

National Economic Council (DEN) Chairman Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has acknowledged that the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme still requires a number of refinements. One evaluation that emerged is that the programme’s rollout was deemed too rapid, leading to various problems on the ground.

“Regarding MBG, we have evaluated it. Yesterday, the Deputy Head of MBG and his team came to the Economic Council. We presented the survey results and our proposals,” Luhut said at the DEN office in Jakarta on Wednesday (24/6/2026).

Luhut stated that one of the recommendations provided by the DEN relates to improving the efficiency of the programme’s implementation and the ability to identify various issues that arise during execution. He assessed that the programme could actually be carried out in stages, giving the government more time to understand the challenges emerging in the field.

“Why does it have to be all at once? It could be done gradually, so we understand it better,” he said.

Nevertheless, Luhut is optimistic that this flagship programme of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration will improve significantly over the next six months to a year. He believes MBG has a substantial economic impact because it promotes income equality and stimulates regional economies.

“Because that is actually redistribution. So, Rp1 trillion per day flowing down to the grassroots has a huge impact,” he said.

Luhut also indicated that a number of issues that arose in the early stages of the programme’s implementation were a consequence of a process that moved very quickly.

“It’s just that previously we might have been a little too hasty. Hence, there were many problems here,” he said.

Despite this, Luhut stressed that the various issues that emerged have been addressed by the government and should not cause excessive polemics.

“Everything has been resolved properly anyway,” he said.