Jakarta. The Indonesian government will inject an additional Rp 100 trillion ($6.14 billion) into the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program starting September 2025, bringing the total budget to Rp 171 trillion. The move aims to expand meal distribution to 82.9 million beneficiaries by the end of the year, according to National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Head Dadan Hindayana.

“With an initial budget of Rp 71 trillion, we need an additional Rp 25 trillion per month to accelerate the program for 82.9 million students. If we begin the expansion in September, we will require Rp 100 trillion. For next year, the monthly requirement will be Rp 28 trillion,” Dadan said at the Presidential Palace on Monday.

The Rp 100 trillion fund comes from government budget savings. President Prabowo ordered Rp 306.69 trillion ($18.9 billion) in cuts for 2025 to fund priority programs, including the MBG initiative. The government aims to save up to Rp 750 trillion (21 percent of the 2025 state budget) by the end of the year, including reallocating SOE dividends.

Dadan said the budget will be disbursed in September due to human resource constraints. The government is training 2,000 personnel, with another 30,000 set to complete training by late July

“These workers must undergo field orientation and coordinate with school principals and local governments before they can fully operate in September,” he added.

Another challenge is infrastructure readiness. To support the program, the government is expanding partnerships with catering services, private companies, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the military, police, intelligence agencies, ministries, regional governments, cooperatives, and organizations like Muhammadiyah, Nahdlatul Ulama, and HIPMI.

The additional funding follows concerns over children who have yet to receive meals under the program, a flagship initiative of President Prabowo Subianto. The current Rp 71 trillion budget only covers 17.5 million beneficiaries.

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