Purbaya on MBG Issues: Government Not Turning a Blind Eye
Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has stated that there are a number of challenges in the initial phase of implementing the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, particularly concerning supply chain readiness, food distribution, and logistical capacity. These obstacles are most pronounced in frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped (3T) regions. “The government is not turning a blind eye to the realities on the ground,” Purbaya said during the 25th Plenary Session of the House of Representatives (DPR) for the 5th Session Period of the 2025–2026 Sitting Year at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday, 14 July 2026.
The statement was made in response to the views of the Democratic Party Faction regarding the early implementation of the MBG programme. According to Purbaya, the government has prepared a series of measures to strengthen supply chain readiness and logistical capacity in the regions. One such measure involves encouraging Nutritional Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) to empower community production centres, Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes), micro, small, and medium enterprises (UMKM), and local suppliers. Through this scheme, SPPG units are expected to source food ingredients directly from farmers, livestock breeders, and fishermen in the vicinity of service locations. This step aims to ensure a smooth supply of raw materials while enhancing the economic impact of the MBG programme on local communities.
The MBG programme has recently come under scrutiny after the Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation into alleged corruption in its management at the National Nutrition Agency (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 Chairperson of the Indonesia Food Security Review (IFSR) Foundation Glory Harimas Sihombing. The Attorney General’s Office also named the Secretary of the Deputy for Promotion and Cooperation at BGN, Brigadier General Lalu Muhammad Iwan Mahardan, as a suspect. Despite this, Chief of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Dudung Abdurachman stated that the free nutritious meal programme will not be halted simply because it faces various implementation problems. He assessed that President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship programme must continue while improvements are made. Dudung acknowledged that the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), the implementer of MBG, is currently facing issues after several of its leaders were named suspects in the alleged corruption case. “The government is not turning a blind eye to the problems that occur,” he said in a written statement on Saturday, 20 June 2026.