President Prabowo Orders All Ministries to Assist in Overhauling Free Nutritious Meal Programme
President Prabowo Subianto has instructed all relevant ministries and institutions to assist the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) in overhauling the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. The reform efforts will be coordinated by the Coordinating Minister for Food.
This directive was conveyed by BGN Deputy Head Agustina Arumsari following a limited meeting with President Prabowo at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (15/7/2026). The instruction became a key point of the meeting, acknowledging that the MBG programme is not an easy undertaking as it involves millions of beneficiaries.
“The most important point from the meeting was that the President assigned all relevant ministers to help the BGN leadership carry out the overhaul. That is his direct order. So, the Coordinating Minister for Food will coordinate with the Ministry of Finance, the BPKP, and others,” Agustina stated.
President Prabowo also requested a careful review of the programme’s implementation across various regions. One specific area of focus is the cost per meal portion in the frontier, outermost, and least developed (3T) regions, particularly in eastern Indonesia. “He asked us to study whether the cost in the 3T regions in the east should be the same as the 15,000 rupiah in Java. He wants it to be studied,” Agustina explained.
According to Agustina, the President does not want the reforms to be rushed. He has asked that all policies be taken fairly and based on mature studies. “The President truly wants the overhaul not to be done hastily, but to be truly fair. I noted that down carefully because for us, this is a good thing,” she said.
Agustina also appealed to the public, including parties awaiting the establishment of Nutritional Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG), to be patient during the reform process. She noted that the BGN needs time to correct both beneficiary data and SPPG data. “We ask to be given time, because the President also really emphasised that he knows it is not easy to make a decision that will be good for millions of people,” she remarked.
Agustina stressed that all ranks must prioritise the reform work. She therefore asked for understanding if not all messages from the public can be responded to immediately. “So please understand if, for example, a WhatsApp message goes unanswered; it is because if we keep answering, when will we work? The President gave clear direction: ‘Okay, fix the data, fix the beneficiary data, fix the SPPG data’,” she added.