JAKARTA, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government has allocated a budget of 217 trillion rupiah (around 13.24 billion U.S. dollars) for the free meal program, targeting 82.9 million beneficiaries next year, the National Nutrition Agency said on Tuesday.
"To achieve this, we aim to have 15,000 nutrition service units operational by September this year, bringing the total to 30,000 by December," said Nyoto Suwignyo, deputy for promotion and cooperation at the National Nutrition Agency.
The Ministry of Finance reported that the budget realization for the program had reached 3 trillion rupiah as of May 21, 2025, covering 3.97 million beneficiaries, including elementary to high school students and pregnant women across various regions.
Bhima Yudhistira, executive director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies, emphasized the importance of improving the program's governance, including food safety, administrative procedures, and procurement processes.
He also stressed the need to ensure the program runs effectively and that funds are not misused. ■
