State Secretary: Budget for free nutritious meal programme to be reduced after recalculation

State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi has stated that a recalculation and overhaul of governance will result in a reduction in the budget requirements for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. He clarified that this is not a budget cut, but rather the outcome of a more careful calculation. The government believes that after a reorganisation process, the actual total budget needed for the MBG programme can be determined more accurately. The government is requesting time to conduct these calculations with the Ministry of Finance and the National Nutrition Agency. Speaking after a coordination meeting at the Coordinating Ministry for Food’s office in Jakarta on Thursday, he noted that the MBG budget for 2026 had been set at Rp268 trillion. The government has agreed on a comprehensive reorganisation of the programme, which is targeted for completion within the next month. Prasetyo explained that while most of the programme will continue running according to established mechanisms and standard operating procedures, certain problem clusters must be reorganised and improved. This includes a priority to accelerate benefits for disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost regions. The government is also working to increase the number of MBG recipients among pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers within the next two weeks. As part of this process, the government is refocusing beneficiaries, including reducing distribution to schools that, based on data and priorities, are not deemed eligible or a priority for receiving MBG. The decision on whether a school is eligible will follow an agreement process, as the standard operating procedure has been in place from the start. Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan revealed a surge of 6,877 service points, which could lead to potential wastage of Rp12 trillion per year. The initial plan was for 21,000 points, but the figure has now reached 27,877, including a rise in points in disadvantaged regions from a targeted 2,000 to 8,617. He stressed the need for a comprehensive overhaul by the new leadership of the National Nutrition Agency. Meanwhile, the head of the agency, Nanik S Deyang, stated that efficiency measures, including a moratorium on opening new service points and kitchens, are being implemented to avoid burdening state finances without altering nutritional targets for beneficiaries. The existing 27,877 operational kitchens will be reassessed to align service capacity with the number of beneficiaries in each region.