BGN Head Dadan Hindayana assessed that this amount exceeded the previous projection of Rp6 trillion absorbed by the end of July.
"Previously, we estimated that it would only reach Rp6 trillion by the end of July," he stated at a press conference on Economic Growth in the Second Quarter of 2025 in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Hindayana remarked that significant budget absorption is expected to continue over the next two months, targeting Rp9 trillion in August.
Furthermore, in September, the free meals program aims to cover 50 million beneficiaries with Rp19 trillion in budget absorption.
In October and November, the BGN targets reaching 72 million beneficiaries and 75 million beneficiaries, respectively.
As a result, budget absorption is expected to reach Rp37 trillion in October and Rp59 trillion in November.
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"By late December, we will spend Rp76 trillion," he remarked.
In addition to budget absorption, the BGN is accelerating the development of nutritional fulfillment service units (SPPG).
Hindayana stated that currently, 3,338 SPPGs are operating across Indonesia, serving around 8.2 million beneficiaries.
"In the next two days, we predict the number of beneficiaries will surpass 10 million," he stated.
The agency is implementing three strategies to accelerate SPPG development: partnerships with the private sector, developing 1,542 SPPGs with the state budget, and establishing six thousand SPPGs in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas in collaboration with local governments.
The MBG program was launched on January 6, 2025, as one of the main initiatives of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka for their 2024–2029 term.
Through the program, the government aims to improve the nutritional status of children under five, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and schoolchildren up to the high school level.
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Translator: Bayu Saputra, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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