Purbaya Meets BGN Chief, Free Nutritious Meal Budget Slashed Again

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has disclosed the outcome of a meeting with National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Chief Nanik S. Deyang at the Ministry of Finance office on Thursday afternoon. During the meeting, the BGN and the Ministry of Finance agreed to cut the budget for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. “Yesterday I met with the BGN Chief here. She reported that there will be further savings from the MBG programme. I think the savings are quite significant, but the BGN Chief will announce the details later,” Purbaya stated during a media briefing at the Ministry of Finance on Friday. Purbaya added that the MBG budget following the further cuts could be lower than Rp268 trillion in 2026. Prior to the initial cuts, the MBG budget had reached Rp335 trillion. “The reduction is quite significant, which clearly makes our budget safer. The cuts will be substantial, but it was not my proposal; it came from the BGN Chief herself. So you can ask the BGN Chief,” he explained. Purbaya emphasised that the evaluation and budget cuts for the MBG programme would not reduce the meal portions or their nutritional content. “It is ensured that the meals remain nutritious. But the BGN Chief is more knowledgeable about that domain,” he clarified. Overall, at least three topics were discussed between Purbaya and the BGN leadership during the meeting, including budget efficiency efforts. The tactical measures discussed included refocusing the budget to align fund allocations entirely with national priority programmes, optimising regional infrastructure by utilising State Assets and Auction Service Offices at the district or city level to assist with physical inspections of Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units, and enhancing human resource capacity by organising financial accountability training for heads of these units to improve overall accountability standards.