Free Nutritious Meals' Budget Realization Reaches Rp36.6tn in Early 2026

February 24, 2026 | 10:47 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Ministry of Finance reported that the free nutritious meal (MBG) program has realized Rp36.6 trillion, or 10.9 percent of this year's allotted budget of Rp335 trillion, as of February 21, 2026.

The number of beneficiaries to the program also keeps increasing, according to the Deputy Minister of Finance Suahasil Nazara. "At the end of 2025, there were 53.8 million recipients, and now there are 60.24 million recipients," he said on Monday, February 23, in Jakarta. 

Compared to the number of MBG recipients at the start of 2025 at 549,000 served by 246 kitchens, the free nutritious meals program is now served by over 23,678 Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPGs) across the country.

Earlier, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa had floated the idea of reallocating the 2026 free nutritious meals budget, which has skyrocketed from last year's Rp71 trillion.

Purbaya had expressed doubts about the complete absorption of the budget. Based on his calculations, even if twice the amount of Rp71 trillion was spent, it would not reach Rp 300 trillion. "We will see what can be made more efficient. We will channel the funds elsewhere if possible," he said in Tangerang, Banten, on Thursday, February 5, 2025.

He stated that this step was taken while ensuring that President Prabowo Subianto's flagship program would continue to run optimally. "The goal is not to hinder the MBG program but to move towards greater efficiency."

The substantial 2026 MBG budget is used to pursue a target of 82.9 million beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance reported that the realization of the MBG budget on December 31, 2025, was only 72.5 percent of the target, meaning only Rp51 trillion was absorbed throughout the year.

Read: Key Points of Lawsuit Over Free Meals in Education Funds

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