Government Prepares IDR 171 T to Ensure MBG Program Continues

By: Silvia AP )*

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the welfare and future of the nation’s young generation by increasing the budget allocation for the Free Nutritious Meals Program (MBG). This policy reflects the national priority in building superior human resources from an early age, as the main foundation for long-term development.

This program is a major initiative designed to address the problems of malnutrition, chronic malnutrition (stunting), and disparities in access to nutritious food among Indonesian children. Launched as part of a strategy to strengthen basic education and health, this program aims to provide healthy and nutritious food for students at the elementary education level, especially in areas with a high prevalence of stunting and significant poverty rates.

This strategic step is not only a response to the health conditions of Indonesian children who still face serious challenges, but also a major investment in the future of the nation. Through MBG, the government hopes to break the chain of stunting early on by ensuring that every school child gets sufficient and balanced nutrition every day.

The government through the Ministry of Finance has stated its readiness to increase the budget for the MBG Program to IDR 171 trillion, in line with the plan to expand the scope of beneficiaries of the program initiated by President Prabowo Subianto.

Deputy Minister of Finance, Suahasil Nazara said that an additional budget of IDR 100 trillion has been prepared in the State Budget. As of May 21, 2025, it was recorded that 3.98 million people had received benefits from the MBG Program. Meanwhile, the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, said that he had directed the expansion of the program to 82.9 million recipients served by 32,000 SPPGs throughout Indonesia. So that the budget of all IDR 100 trillion, becomes IDR 171 trillion.

The IDR 171 trillion budget prepared for this program is not only used for food procurement alone, but also includes various supporting aspects that ensure the program runs systematically, effectively, and sustainably. The funds are used to finance logistics, distribution systems, workforce training, food quality control, as well as nutritional counseling and education for students, teachers, and parents.

With this comprehensive approach, the program is not only a routine for providing food, but also a national movement in forming a healthy and nutritionally aware lifestyle culture.

The Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana also said that the budget for the MBG program has been guaranteed by the government. With the government’s commitment and encouragement to accelerate implementation, the MBG Program is certainly expected to be a concrete solution to improve the quality of community nutrition, while supporting the development of superior Indonesian human resources.

The implementation of this program also shows the importance of strong cross-sector coordination. The Ministry of Education and Culture, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Affairs, and Ministry of Agriculture, work together to ensure that the program runs synergistically and without overlapping. At the regional level, provincial and district/city governments are also responsible for technical implementation, supervision, and reporting. A digital-based reporting system is implemented to monitor effectiveness, budget transparency, and target achievement in real time.

The MBG program also brings important values ​​in the context of social justice. By guaranteeing free access to nutritious food for all children regardless of economic, social, and geographic background, this program helps reduce disparities between regions. Children in remote, underdeveloped, and outermost areas also have the same rights to grow up healthy and smart, just like children in big cities. This is a real manifestation of the spirit of inclusiveness and equitable development which are the main principles in national development.

Active community participation is the key to the success of MBG. Parents, teachers, community organizations, and community leaders must be actively involved in the implementation and monitoring of this program. The culture of mutual cooperation which is a characteristic of the Indonesian nation is a social force that can be relied on to oversee this program so that it is right on target and sustainable. Nutrition counseling that accompanies this program will also increase public awareness of the importance of consuming nutritious food at home, so that there is a complete transformation of eating patterns.