JAKARTA, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government will almost double the budget for President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free nutritious meal program in 2026 to over 300 trillion rupiahs (about 18.52 billion U.S. dollars), aiming to reach 82.9 million beneficiaries, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said here on Wednesday.
Mulyani noted that the government has allocated 171 trillion rupiahs (about 10.56 billion U.S. dollars) for the program this year.
"Next year, if 82.9 million people receive the benefits, the budget will be more than 300 trillion rupiahs," she said on the sidelines of a national sharia economic discussion.
The program is expected to improve the intelligence and health of beneficiaries, while also serving as an economic stimulus to spur business activities.
"The state budget is an instrument for all of us, and we will continue to use it to achieve the goals we want," she said.
Beyond its nutritional and health impacts, the program also strengthens economic resilience by reducing household expenditures, creating millions of jobs, and stabilizing food prices through direct purchases from smallholder farmers. ■