Prabowo Affirms Continuation of Free Nutritious Meal Program in State Address

President Prabowo Subianto delivered his annual state address and read the financial note and the Draft State Budget (RAPBN) at the DPR/MPR Session in Jakarta, Friday (14/08).

This is the second time Prabowo has delivered a state address since serving as president in 2024.

The session in Senayan was attended by high-ranking state officials, including former President Joko Widodo and former Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

In his speech, Prabowo expressed his commitment to continue the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program, which had previously sparked controversy. He stated, "will not allow stunting or malnutrition in Indonesia."

According to Prabowo, stunting is still experienced by Indonesian children, with figures in some places "as high as 25%...

One in four Indonesian children experiences stunting." Therefore, he is determined to continue the MBG program "with improvements. With efficiency."

Facts show that out of 27,469 SPPG units in Indonesia, only 1% of MBG kitchens are operating in Papua Province.

In comparison, the number of SPPGs on the island of Java reaches 53% of the total SPPGs in all of Indonesia.

The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network reported that cases of poisoning due to MBG during the period of 2025 to August 2026 reached 40,759 people.

The latest poisoning cases occurred in Berastagi, North Sumatra, and Jayapura Regency, Papua, where thousands of students were rushed to the hospital in the last three weeks.

Separately, Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa stated that the MBG program is still included in the education budget in the 2027 APBN, which totals Rp820.9 trillion.

This figure is an increase from the education budget in the 2026 APBN of Rp769 trillion.

The Constitutional Court on July 30 had requested that the MBG financing be separated from the education budget at the latest for the 2028 APBN.

In addition, Prabowo claimed to have established 10,000 Red and White Cooperatives (Kopdes), with 3,300 of them operating optimally.

He targets the number of Kopdes to reach 30,000 units by the end of this year.

Prabowo stated, "For the first time, the state will control its own supply chain so that we cannot be manipulated by merchants who will manipulate the market."

Nicky Fahrizal, a researcher from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, considers this claim "difficult to believe" due to the lack of clarity in the program's orientation and transparency.

According to Nicky, the lack of transparency raises the issue of "cooperatives becoming a source of funds for those in power," which is "a consequence of public dissatisfaction with the government's strategic programs, including this cooperative."