MBG Programme Proposed to Focus on Lowest Decile Students and 3T Regions

President Prabowo Subianto has given the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) room to review the budget per portion for the free nutritious meal (MBG) programme. The plan was conveyed by BGN Deputy Head Agustina Arumsari after a limited meeting with President Prabowo at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, 15 July 2026. Arum stated that Prabowo requested the agency conduct a thorough review of the MBG’s implementation, including questioning whether the budget per portion for regions in the 3T (frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped) areas in eastern Indonesia should be the same as the Rp 15,000 allocated for Java. The Head of State asked that all policy options be studied and calculated properly before any decision is made.

During the meeting, Prabowo also instructed that MBG beneficiaries be prioritised for those who truly need the assistance. Discussions developed towards excluding recipients in the 8th, 9th, and 10th deciles, or those who are financially established, from receiving MBG. Arum said the government will prioritise beneficiaries from the lowest economic deciles and underdeveloped regions. She noted that those who no longer need to receive the programme should not receive it, while those in lower deciles, underdeveloped areas, and regions with high stunting prevalence should be given the benefit.

Previously, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa acknowledged several challenges in the early stages of the MBG programme’s implementation, particularly concerning supply chain readiness, food distribution, and logistical capacity. These obstacles were most pronounced in the 3T regions. Speaking at a DPR plenary session in Jakarta on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, Purbaya stated that the government is not turning a blind eye to the realities on the ground. He was responding to the Democratic Party faction’s views on the initial implementation of the MBG programme. The government has prepared several measures to strengthen supply chain readiness and logistical capacity in the regions, including encouraging the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) to empower local production centres, village-owned enterprises (BUMDes), micro, small, and medium enterprises (UMKM), and local providers. The MBG programme has recently come under the spotlight after the Attorney General’s Office launched a corruption investigation into its management at BGN. Investigators have named several suspects, including former BGN Head Dadan Hindayana, his two former deputies Sony Sanjaya Lodewyk Pusung and Asep Yusuf Somantri, PT Yasa Artha Trimanunggal (YAT) Commissioner Andri Mulyono, and Indonesia Food Security Review (IFSR) Foundation Chairperson Glory Harimas Sihombing.