"Next year's budget of Rp335 trillion will primarily be allocated more for MBG interventions. For these intervention alone, we will require approximately Rp1.2 trillion per day, or Rp25 trillion per month, assuming that for beneficiaries reaches Rp82.9 million. We are currently accelerating the program with 19,000 (SPPG partners) whose eligibility is under review," Dadan said during a visit to the ANTARA Heritage Center in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He emphasized that 75 percent of the funds will be used for nutritional meal interventions, including pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, toddlers outside of early childhood education (PAUD), and students from PAUD to high school.
He added that a portion of the budget would also support program management and digititalization of SPPG operations for efficiency and control.
"Besides nutritional interventions, the funds will also support management operations, including digitalization as we want everything to be well-recorded and easily monitored, However, we acknowledge that our digital systems are still lagging for various reasons," he said.
He further explained that when an SPPG unit is established, it must be integrated into a digital system, starting with daily attendance tracking for children, which should be directly linked to the SPPG system, so that the data can be sent to the central government in real time.
"We're a bit behind on this, but we plan to catch up next year," he added.
Dadan highlighted that the MBG Program is not merely a nutritional initiative, but also serves as economic catalyst at the community level.
According to BGN data, by mid-August 2025, approximately 5,905 MBG kitchens or SPPG had been established, serving around 20.5 million beneficiaries.
The establishment of these kitchens involved collaboration with local entrepreneurs, community organizations, and non-governmental organizations, without placing additional pressure on the 2025 State Budget. The investment absorbed by the community for building the kitchen infrastructure is estimated to reach Rp12 trillion.
"With the addition of approximately 19.000 more kitchens, already built but yet operational, the total investment value is projected to reach Rp38 trillion. Overall, the economic turnover from this program could reach Rp50 trillion," said Dadan.
At the 2026 State Budget Bill and its Financial Notes Session on Friday (August 15), President Prabowo Subianto reaffirmed the government's commitment to continuing the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program with a budget allocation of Rp335 trillion in the 2026 State Budget.
"We are building a superior generation of our children through MBG. A superior generation is born from healthy bodies with sufficient nutrition," the President stated.
The President said that the MBG program aims to reach 82.9 million students, pregnant women, and toddlers across the country.
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Translator: Yoanita Hastryka Djohan
Editor: Primayanti
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