Indonesia Spends Nearly Rp1 Trillion Daily on Free Meals Programme

TheIndonesia.co - Deputy Head of Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Sony Sonjaya, has said the government is allocating nearly Rp1 trillion (around £50 million) per day for its Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme.

The funds are distributed directly to kitchens operating under the programme, known as Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG), across the country.

According to Sonjaya, the budget is not only aimed at improving public nutrition but also at stimulating local economies.

“Every day, nearly Rp1 trillion is channelled by the government to communities from Aceh to Papua, from villages to metropolitan areas, to ensure real community empowerment through the free nutritious meals programme,” he said after an event marking the programme’s first anniversary at the Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment in Jakarta on Thursday (16 April 2026).

He detailed that the daily budget reaches approximately Rp986 billion. The funds are used to procure food supplies, pay incentives to staff and volunteers, and cover operational costs.

Around Rp117 billion per day is allocated for incentives for approximately 1.2 million SPPG volunteers, each receiving an average of Rp100,000 per day.

In addition, more than Rp600 billion, about 70% of the total budget, is spent on purchasing staple foods from local producers, including rice, vegetables, fish, eggs, meat, and fruit.

Sonjaya emphasised that the funds are transferred directly to SPPG units without passing through regional governments.

“Seventy per cent of the budget for raw materials flows directly to each SPPG without going through any intermediary, neither provincial nor district governments, but directly into a virtual account,” he said.

He added that the funds in these virtual accounts can only be disbursed after receiving approval from two authorised parties.

“The funds can only be released with dual authorisation. First, the foundation submits the request, then the head of the SPPG reviews and approves it. Only after both steps are completed can the funds be disbursed,” Sonjaya explained.