Indonesia’s nutrition agency proposes Rp240.2 trillion for free meals program in 2027

Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency has proposed Rp240.2 trillion for its 2027 work plan and budget, with nearly all of it earmarked for the Free Nutritious Meals program.

Agency head Sudaryono presented the plan to Commission IX of the House of Representatives at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta. The proposed budget totals Rp240.201 trillion, based on the budget ceiling set in a joint letter from the finance minister and the minister of national development planning on August 9, 2026.

Sudaryono said the agency had applied a Rp25 trillion efficiency measure to the government assistance component of the meals program. That allocation fell from Rp265.5 trillion to Rp232.5 trillion. The overall 2027 proposal assigns Rp232.88 trillion, or 96.95 percent, to Free Nutritious Meals, while Rp7.33 trillion, or 3.05 percent, goes to management support.

By spending type, the agency proposed Rp233.12 trillion for goods and services, representing 97.05 percent of the budget, and Rp7.08 trillion for personnel, or 2.95 percent.

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said implementation of the meals program had reached Rp101.1 trillion by the end of the second quarter of 2026 and served 63.13 million beneficiaries. He said the program had contributed to higher central government spending during the first half of the year. A Constitutional Court ruling requires the meals program budget to be separated from the education budget no later than the 2028 state budget.

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Precisely, it is Rp240,201,299,678,000. There was an efficiency of Rp25 trillion specifically in the government assistance component for the Free Nutritious Meals program, which fell from Rp265.5 trillion to Rp232.5 trillion. The Rp240.2 trillion figure is the basis for the work plan and budget we are presenting this afternoon.