MBG Budget Confirmed to Still Draw from Education and Health Funds

The House of Representatives’ Commission X has confirmed that the budget for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme in 2027 will still be partially sourced from the education and health sectors. This was stated by Commission X Deputy Chairman Lalu Hadrian, who noted that the certainty was previously conveyed by the Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Agustina Arum Sari. “So, in principle, today it is still taken from the education and health budgets, according to the explanation from the Deputy Head of BGN,” Lalu said at the parliament complex on Thursday (18/6).

Nevertheless, Lalu believes the MBG programme needs to continue, provided there is an evaluation of its implementation governance. He also suggested that in the future, MBG should be prioritised for underdeveloped regions. Furthermore, he argued that using the education budget for MBG does not reduce the quality of national education services. “Even if the budget posture is in the education budget, we hope that other basic education needs are not disrupted by this budget,” he said.

Therefore, Lalu welcomed BGN’s plan to make the MBG budget more efficient. However, he admitted he did not yet know the exact amount of the budget to be allocated for MBG in 2027. He added that Commission X will continue to oversee the deliberation process because part of the MBG budget comes from the education fund allocation. “We in Commission X will oversee it, because it is taken from the education budget, so it is certainly our obligation to supervise every programme implemented by BGN,” he said.

Deputy Head of BGN Agustina Arum Sari had previously confirmed that the MBG budget would still be taken from education and health. Although the exact figure is not yet known, the government has set an indicative ceiling of Rp270.2 trillion. However, she said this figure will continue to be evaluated, noting that Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said the figure would be around Rp268 trillion. “Currently, education and health. Still education. Still. In the future, still yes,” Arum said after a meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives on Monday (15/6).