TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Dadan Hindayana, Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), projected that the budget absorption for the free nutritious meal program will need to reach Rp116,649,693,148,000 or Rp116.6 trillion by the end of 2025.
"If we follow the planned mechanisms for nutritious meals, the required budget will be approximately Rp116.6 trillion," Dadan stated during a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission IX on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
This fund increases from the initial government allocation of Rp71 trillion. According to Dadan, this larger sum is necessary to reach the target of providing free nutritious meals to 82.9 million beneficiaries.
As of May 5, 2025, Dadan reported that the program had reached 3,506,941 people. "Right now, there is Rp71 trillion, and an additional Rp51 trillion is sufficient to serve all beneficiaries until December," he explained.
Out of the allocated budget of Rp71 trillion, Dadan noted that the free nutritious meal program has only utilized Rp2.386 trillion, or approximately 3.36 percent. He aims for a gradual increase in budget absorption throughout the remainder of the year, with targets set for each month leading up to December.
Dadan's projections for budget absorption are as follows: Rp4.71 trillion in June, Rp16 trillion in July, Rp18 trillion in August, Rp51 trillion in September, Rp60 trillion in October, and Rp88 trillion in November.
"Therefore, our total allocation is not limited to the approved Rp71 trillion but exceeds that amount," Dadan clarified. He is currently developing additional budget mechanisms to ensure the program can reach its goal of serving 82.9 million beneficiaries.
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