Minister of Finance, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, has emphasized that the government will continue to push for the full utilization of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) budget, warning that unspent funds could burden state finances.

Speaking after the “APBN Kita” press conference at the Finance Ministry on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, Purbaya responded to Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan’s statement that the MBG budget would not be reallocated even if absorption remained low.

“It’s good if the budget can be absorbed. But if not, what should we do just let the money sit idle? We still have to pay interest on government debt. That’s why we push for full absorption so we don’t need to redirect it,” Purbaya said.

As of October 3,2025, the Finance Ministry recorded that MBG budget realization had reached Rp20.6 trillion, or 29 percentof the total Rp71 trillion (US$4.2 billion) allocated under the 2025 State Budget (APBN).

The MBG program, one of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship, aims to provide free nutritious meals to students and vulnerable groups nationwide. The National Nutrition Agency (BGN), the program’s implementing body, had previously returned Rp70 trillion in unused budget allocations for this year.

Purbaya clarified that BGN had also withdrawn a Rp100 trillion (US$6 billion) budget request for additional funding this year, which had never been formally approved in the APBN.

“They returned Rp100 trillion from a proposal they had made, but that amount was never actually allocated in the state budget,” he said.

Despite the slow absorption rate, Purbaya confirmed that the Finance Ministry would monitor MBG disbursement closely until the end of October before deciding whether budget cuts were necessary.

“We’ll review it by the end of October. If the funds are still not absorbed, we’ll trim it. There’s no point in letting it stagnate,” he said, referencing an earlier statement on October 5.

Meanwhile, Deputy Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara reported that the MBG program had already reached 31.2 million beneficiaries across the country, including 6.6 million in Sumatra, with others spread across Java, Kalimantan, and eastern Indonesia.

However, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan maintained that the MBG budget should remain untouched, calling it a presidential priority.

“MBG is President Prabowo’s main program. It cannot be redirected … this is a crucial initiative to improve human resource quality,” Zulkifli said in Semarang on Monday, October 13, 2025.

He added that the program’s scale covering 82 million beneficiaries was unprecedented and part of a long-term strategy to combat malnutrition and strengthen Indonesia’s future workforce.

“It’s not just assistance; it’s an investment in our people,” Zulkifli said.