Zulhas Requests One Month to Resolve Free Nutritious Meal Programme Issues After Meeting with Prabowo
Coordinating Minister for Food (Menko Pangan) Zulkifli Hasan and a number of ministers held a limited meeting with President Prabowo Subianto regarding the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. Zulhas and the relevant ministries and agencies requested one month to resolve the problems in the programme’s implementation.
“Regarding MBG, we will settle the issues that have so far been obstacles or instances of abuse. We are asking for one month. Yes, one more month. One month to resolve and tidy things up,” Zulhas told reporters at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Wednesday (15/7/2026).
After the one-month period, Zulhas said the solutions to the MBG problems would be examined in greater depth. He will report back to Prabowo to request a final decision.
“After that, we will report the next steps to the President so he can decide and give directions on what the final decision should be. But we will study things more deeply for one month from today. I think those two things are what we decided tonight,” he said.
Zulhas detailed a number of problems in the implementation of the programme currently under evaluation, ranging from suspected abuse to locations that should already be receiving services but are not yet supported by a Nutrition Fulfilment Service Unit (SPPG).
“There are many, yes. The abuse cases, then the points that are eligible to receive the programme, and many points that have already been designated but have no SPPG yet,” he said.
In addition, he noted there are locations that already have buildings but cannot yet operate as planned. According to him, the government is still inventorying these various problems before determining the next steps.
“Some have built facilities but nothing is running yet — many, many things, yes. Within this one month we will present it all to the President so the right decision can be taken,” he continued.
Another matter discussed in the meeting was the Red and White Village Cooperatives (KDMP). Zulhas again emphasised that the village cooperatives are the government’s infrastructure for distributing aid and subsidised goods.
“The Red and White Village Cooperatives will serve as the government’s infrastructure for distributing all forms of assistance, and also for distributing all subsidised goods,” he said.
Furthermore, Zulhas said the village cooperatives will act as an off-taker for farmers’ harvests. They will purchase agricultural produce at prices already set by the government.
“Secondly, they act as an off-taker: if prices for commodities such as unhusked rice, maize and others fall below the price set by the government, the cooperatives can act as off-takers, that is, buyers of agricultural products whose prices have been determined by the government,” he said.