MBG Budget Slashed by IDR 39 Trillion to IDR 229 Trillion, Here's BGN's Explanation

The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has revealed that the budget for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme has been reduced by IDR 39 trillion, from an initial allocation to IDR 229 trillion for 2026. BGN Secretary Lili Khamiliyah stated that this efficiency measure is temporary and part of a broader effort to refine the programme’s governance and targeting of beneficiaries, in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s directives. “This is temporary, pending a re-screening from the budget refocusing and governance changes. We are working on this so that the state budget can be executed effectively, efficiently, and transparently,” she said.

Deputy Head of BGN Agustina Arumsari added that the sharpening of beneficiary data has currently identified 62.7 million recipients, down from President Prabowo’s initial target of 82.9 million. She emphasised that this figure is not final and will be further reviewed over the next month. “We have been given time by the President to sharpen the governance, about a month. I am confident that after the re-screening, the number will automatically adjust. The final figure will await the President’s decision,” she explained.

Agustina noted that budget synchronisation is ongoing with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas), with the final allocation to be confirmed in the President’s financial note. The primary focus is now on improving governance and service quality rather than chasing a specific recipient target. To improve data accuracy, the agency will cross-reference school beneficiary data with the national education database (Dapodik) to prevent duplication, after discovering cases where a single school was served by two different Nutritional Service Fulfilment Units (SPPG).