Indonesia's BGN Receives Indicative Budget of Rp270.2 Trillion for 2027 Free Nutrition Program, Final Amount Pending

Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency (Badan Gizi Nasional, or BGN) has received an indicative budget allocation of Rp270.2 trillion for the 2027 Free Nutritious Meals (Makan Bergizi Gratis, or MBG) program, according to an announcement by BGN Vice-Head Agustina Arumsari during a closed-door meeting at the Indonesian Parliament building in Jakarta on June 15, 2026. The budget is designed to support approximately 81.5 million beneficiaries in 2027.

However, Arumsari emphasized that the allocation figure is not yet final and will be revised to ensure more precise targeting. She explained that this represents a standard procedural step, with the figure coming from communications with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas). BGN plans to conduct a comprehensive review of the budget allocation over the remainder of 2026 to optimize its distribution and governance.

As part of the refocusing effort, BGN is considering feedback from multiple stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health and policy experts. One significant proposed change involves potentially removing upper-income high school students from the program's beneficiary list. According to BGN calculations, this adjustment could reduce the beneficiary pool by approximately 8 million people. Arumsari noted that the exact budget savings from these refinements cannot yet be confirmed, as discussions with the Ministry of Finance and Bappenas are still ongoing.

The agency committed to maintaining an open consultation process with various government ministries and experts throughout the revision period to ensure the program's resources are allocated efficiently and effectively to those most in need.