Trade Minister Claims Free Nutritious Meals Programme Boosts Staple Food Prices Including Eggs

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, YOGYAKARTA – Trade Minister Budi Santoso has claimed that the resumption of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme has helped improve staple food prices, one example being chicken eggs. The programme is considered to have increased egg absorption whilst providing demand certainty for farmers.

Budi said that egg prices, which previously hovered around Rp 26,000 per kilogram, have now risen towards the Highest Retail Price (HET) set by the government at Rp 30,000 per kilogram. Egg prices are currently said to be around Rp 28,000 per kilogram.

“Let me give you the example of egg prices — what was the egg price yesterday? Rp 26 (thousand). Rp 26 (thousand), when the HET is what? Rp 30,000, right? That Rp 30,000 HET is the Highest Retail Price,” Budi told journalists in Yogyakarta on Thursday (23/7/2026).

According to him, prices moving closer to the HET indicate a balance between the interests of producers and consumers. Prices that are too low, he said, risk causing farmers to make losses and halt production, which could ultimately trigger shortages and price increases.

“If producers lose money, they could shut down and stop producing. If they stop producing, there will be no eggs, and prices would actually rise,” he said.

Budi noted that increased egg absorption for the MBG programme is one of the factors driving the price improvement. The programme creates more certain demand, allowing production to be adjusted to market needs.

“Absorption is now better because one of the factors is that MBG is running again. So in fact, MBG can act as a balancer between demand and supply,” he said.