The first scheme channels the MBG budget through the Special Allocation Fund (DAK), which would be disbursed directly to local governments.
The second scheme channels MBG assistance through the Family Hope Program (PKH). “The PKH currently provides Rp300 thousand (US$17.5) per month, so we will add another Rp300 thousand for the MBG program,” he said here on Tuesday.
Abdullah’s third scheme calls for moving the MBG public kitchen, or Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG), closer to schools for better supervision.
According to data from the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI), as of mid-September 2025 about 5,360 children had suffered food poisoning linked to the program.
Abdullah said the government should evaluate the MBG Program by first identifying problem areas.
“The government must immediately identify the root causes and the source. Is the supply chain from SPPG to schools too long? Because one SPPG serves three thousand beneficiaries, can it be shortened?” he asked.
He stressed, however, that the MBG Program must continue with improvements.
“It does not mean the program has to be ended. It needs new patterns, with each school having one SPPG. This would be easier to monitor,” he added.
Previously, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa offered the option of diverting the MBG budget if absorption remains low by the end of October 2025.
He said the Indonesian government will not allow unused MBG funds to sit idle until year-end. The budget would be diverted to other sectors or used to reduce the deficit and debt.
“We will distribute it elsewhere, either to reduce the deficit or to reduce debt. Basically, there will be no idle funds in earmarked departments or ministries until the end of the year,” he said.
Although the President fully supports the MBG program, he added, actual conditions in the field still determine the level of budget absorption. Therefore, the ministry will help accelerate absorption by strengthening management and monitoring.
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Translator: Bayu Saputra, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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