Purbaya Speaks Out on Budget Cuts for Free Nutritious Meals Programme

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has admitted to communicating with the Palace regarding news of budget cuts for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. Purbaya provided a brief confirmation.

“It has been done,” said Purbaya when confirmed at the Parliament Building on Thursday (11/06/2026).

However, regarding the extent of the cuts, Purbaya appeared hesitant to mention the specific amount.

“To what level? 90, perhaps?” Purbaya stated uncertainly.

Purbaya noted that regarding the cuts, the ministry will follow the directives of President Prabowo Subianto.

Previously, the Minister of State Secretary, Prasetyo Hadi, spoke out, revealing that the government is currently recalculating the requirements for the MBG programme. He stated that based on preliminary calculations, there is a reduction in the required budget for the implementation of the MBG programme.

“It is not a cut, per se, but from the results of our calculations, we believe there will be a reduction in the budget requirements for this free nutritious meal programme,” said Prasetyo when met at the Coordinating Ministry for Food Office, Central Jakarta, on Thursday (11/06/2026).

Prasetyo mentioned that the process of recalculating the MBG budget requirements is still ongoing. The recalculation is being conducted in line with plans to improve the governance of President Prabowo’s priority programme.

“Therefore, we are requesting time to calculate this alongside the Ministry of Finance and the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). Through this restructuring process, we will be able to calculate more precisely exactly how much total budget is required for this nutritious meal programme,” he explained.